The Avatar's Lover
by pretty in green
Summary: The Avatar is not the only one with power beyond a human’s imagination. But what happens when The Face Stealer wishes to seek out this power? Who is its beholder? Secrets of an ancient legend will have to be revealed.
1. Toph's Suitor

**Title:** The Avatar's Lover

**Shipping:** Taang

**Rating:** T

**Summary:** The Avatar is not the only one with power beyond a human's imagination. But what happens when The Face Stealer wishes to seek out this power? Who is its beholder? Secrets of an ancient legend will have to be revealed.

**A/N:** Long time no see, guys. So I'm going to start my new story for you all. But first let me clear up some things. First off, all the things that happened in the series happened in the story. Yes, everything. Also, this is about four years after the war. I'll try my best to update as much as possible. I'm off of school pretty soon so updates will come more frequently. Alright…I'm done.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, go ahead and laugh Mike and Bryan. So what I don't own Avatar *sniff*. There's more important things in life *runs off in tears*

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Toph was lying down on her bed staring up at the ceiling. There was a strong smell of jasmine wafting in the air. She guessed it was because of the perfume the maids had recently drowned her in. Her hair was loose and damp from her recent bath and was sprawled all over her silk sheets and pillows along with her new dress. Her windows were barred with wood, the door was locked, and there was absolutely nothing in her room of interest. She sighed. _Another boring day,_ she thought.

She started wondering why she was being dressed up today. Usually, she would just sit in her room and do nothing if there weren't any visitors coming to this prison her parents called a house. Occasionally, she would ask one of the maids to read her some of the scrolls that apparently were piled high all over the shelves in her room. They were often about maidens who were captured by an evil criminal and was swept off of her feet and saved by her prince in shining armor. Toph hated those stories but they were all she had. It was pitiful to see anyone be that completely helpless that they needed someone to come in and save them. But as she laid in her bed in her terribly uncomfortable dress, she realized that was exactly what she needed.

"Miss Bei Fong?"

Toph swung her feet over the edge of the bed and placed her feet on the floor. She tapped her foot on the polished wood and was able to barely make out a woman who was only as tall as half of the doorway. By the high pitched voice that came from the short figure, she knew it was Ming, one of the sweetest maids in the whole house.

"Yes, what is it?"

"You need to came downstairs, my dear. Your parents said that a special visitor should be coming shortly."

Toph hung her head. Another person to come and admire her for what her parents disguised her as. Ming came over and took her hand and sat Toph in front of her rather large makeup vanity. The maid pulled at her hair and combed it through. Then she managed to put Toph's waist-length hair into a bun. Ming reached into the drawers of the vanity. When she wasn't looking, Toph pulled out her bangs and had them hang in front of her face just as she liked it. Then Ming caked up her face with expensive makeup.

Toph stood up and followed Ming through Toph's part of the house over to the parlor.

Toph couldn't tell where she was going very well at all. Ming had to pull her which made her feel terribly useless. When Toph came home after the war, her parents had made it a point to make sure that Toph couldn't run away again. They had added another wing in their house that was completely wooden, right down to the door knobs. What they had done worked. Toph wouldn't have been able to find her way out no matter how hard she tried.

After walking for about ten minutes, Toph and Ming made it to the parlor where Toph's parents were sitting. Toph felt a ray of relief when her feet stepped on earth again, but knew she couldn't try anything fishy as long as her parents were watching. Toph sat down and Ming had walked back out.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad," Toph said in a bored voice.

Mrs. Bei Fong stood up and walked toward her daughter. "You look absolutely beautiful Toph. You truly are a sight to see."

Toph rolled her eyes. "I'm not a doll you can dress up to be beautiful. I know I look ridiculous." Mrs. Bei Fong was a bit taken aback by the venom in Toph's voice so she sat down beside her husband.

"We have a special guest to come and have dinner with us tonight, Toph," Lao said to his daughter. "Please try to behave."

"Well, it depends entirely on who's coming," Toph replied.

Toph's mother got extremely excited by the way her heart suddenly sped up. "Oh Toph you're just going to love him. He's a rather rich business man who is about your age. He is quite charming."

_Oh great,_ Toph thought. _Another suitor._ Toph had had countless amounts of rich, stuck-up men try to take her hand in marriage. She had already known by now how they all worked. They sucked up to her parents during dinner, held her hand against her will, and she was forced to comply. Then in the middle of dessert, they would ask her if she would walk in the garden with her. Everything after that varied from a talkative jerk to a seductive creep. The evening would not end up well for any of them.

"He should be here shortly," Lao said. "I suggest that we go to the front to greet him. Have some self control, Toph."

Toph's parents filed out of the room and Toph followed. She hung her head the whole way. She knew it was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Toph stood in the corner of the front room while her parent met the idiot she was expected to marry. She couldn't believe that she of all people would be subjected to someone who would expect her to cook for him, clean for him, and be a trophy wife. All of a sudden, the man came up to Toph and caught her hand in his, breaking her from her thoughts. He brought it up to his mouth and kissed it.

"Hello, Miss Bei Fong. I'm Lo Jing. It's an honor to finally meet you."

"I'm glad you have chosen to join us for dinner tonight," Toph said in the nicest voice she could muster.

"Why don't we make our way to the dining room for dinner and talk there?" Mrs. Bei Fong suggested.

Lo Jing held his arm out towards Toph. "May I?"

Toph tried her hardest not to kill this guy for even thinking she would let him touch her when he barely even knew her. But she had already promised her parents she would behave and she didn't want to risk losing any freedom she still had.

"Of course," she said, faking a smile. He looped his arm in hers and they walked towards the dining room.

Walking with him, she realized he was a head taller than her. He was wearing clothing that felt like velvet and was trying to pull Toph as close to him as possible. However, Toph was strong in more than just spirit and made sure her arm was kept up to keep Lo Jing a good distance from her side. She hasn't even had a proper conversation with the guy and she was already disgusted by him.

They all reached the dining room and found that the food was already set out. Various types of salads, soups, meats, fruits, drinks and appetizers were set out and filled the entire dining table. Toph's parents sat at one side of the table. Toph was about to sit down until Lo Jing quickly came up behind her and pulled out her chair for her. Toph sat down, annoyed at the fact that he pulled out her chair when she very well could've done it herself.

Dinner was full of conversations that Toph tried to drown out as much as possible. She did manage to hear that Lo Jing had a successful business extending the city of Ba Sing Se. Adding buildings, adding roads, extending the subways, stuff like that. Occasionally, he would reach for Toph's hand and try to hold it, but the young earth bender was quick enough to jerk her hand out of the way and reach for her cup at that same moment. The meal droned on for hours and she heard many hearty laughs from Lo Jing that she quickly identified as his suck-up laugh.

The maids came and cleared the table and at the same time, the chefs brought out their famous custard pies.

"Amazing dinner you have prepared, Mrs. Bei Fong," Lo Jing had said in a voice that seemed almost too nice.

Toph rolled her eyes and dipped a fork into the pie and took small bites. When she was halfway through her dessert Lo Jing spoke up again.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong, would you mind terribly if your daughter and I may take a small walk in the garden?" he asked.

"I don't see why not. Enjoy yourselves," Mr. Bei Fong said happily.

Lo Jing held out his hand and Toph took it reluctantly. _Right on schedule,_ she thought. She wondered if there was a manual on this stuff as they both walked out of the dining room and out of the front door into the garden.

Toph was quick enough to let go of his hand once her parents weren't looking. She led the way and decided to take the shortest path around the garden which was unfortunately still rather long. There was a long and uncomfortable silence between them. Then he had the courage to speak up.

"Beautiful night isn't it?" he asked.

"I wouldn't know. I'm not exactly the person to ask," she said with a bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"Oh…ummm…right. Sorry," he stammered nervously.

Toph rolled her eyes. He was absolutely ridiculous.

"May I call you Toph?" he asked.

"No you may not!" she said with a little too much anger which must have shut him up for a while.

Toph and Lo Jing walked in silence again. Toph felt al little bad, so she started up the conversation again.

"So, you're adding on to Ba Sing Se, huh?"

Lo Jing looked over at her. "Yeah. It's a pretty in-depth project, but it should look wonderful after it's done. Of course it does get lonely."

Toph looked puzzled. "You don't have a family or something?"

"Well I do, but they don't approve of the profession I've decided to take up. They would rather see me dealing with trade. So I don't get to see them often."

Toph stood quiet for a while, but wasn't too into his story. After all, her current situation was far worse. Though she had to admit that the guy wasn't too bad. But then he ruined his track record.

He placed his arm around her waist. "Though it isn't all bad now," he whispered in her ear.

Toph's eyes widened. _Oh no. Another guy trying to get fresh,_ she thought.

"I'll be happy to have you as my company on those cold and lonely nights."

His voice was dangerously low and Toph knew he was getting at something. She tried to push him off but unfortunately, he was stronger than she thought he was earlier when he was apparently serious about things like this.

"Um, I think we should get back—"

Toph jumped when he felt his hand run across her backside. She pushed him off of her as hard as she could and he fell to the ground.

"How dare you bring me out to here just to get into my skirt! I am not some floozy you can just take advantage of you jerk!" she yelled at him.

"No, no, I-I was just trying to—"

Toph stomped her foot on the ground and a pillar of earth came up from under him. He flew up into the air and made it over the wall of the garden. Toph listened for the loud thump and sure enough, she heard him crash into the ground with a rather loud scream of pain. Toph smoothed out her dress and smirked.

She found a bench, sat down, and propped up her feet onto a rock. She knew she would never hear the end of this from her parents. She had a habit of doing this to everyone; especially the ones who had pulled one of those moves that jerk did two seconds ago. Though she had to admit, some had gone for far more private regions like her chest. She was sure she had taken the right from those men to have children. She leaned against the tree behind her and looked up.

The breeze was cool tonight and she decided to just sit here until she had to go inside and hear an hour or two lecture from her parents. Then she heard a familiar voice next to her.

"I think that guy will be feeling that in the morning."

Toph placed her feet on the ground and felt familiar light footsteps walking toward her. Toph smiled and ran toward them, completely ecstatic.

* * *

**Oh yeah! This is why Toph is my fav character. So here is the first chapter of my new story. Hope you liked it. I'll try my super hardest to come up with the next chapter as soon as possible. Please review *gets down on her knees* I beg of you!**


	2. Escape

**So I may have told some of you guys that this was going to come out a lot later than it did. But I just needed to get this chapter over with. Here's chapter two. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 2**

"Twinkle Toes!"

Toph ran up to the monk and jumped on top of him. He fell over onto the ground as Toph pulled him into a bone crushing hug. He laughed as he hugged her back.

"Long time no see, Toph."

She smiled and laughed a little. She hadn't seen Aang in years. When he was walking over, she noticed that he had grown at least a foot and hugging him, she noticed that he definitely took Sokka's advice of working out those scrawny arms of his. She pulled back and placed her hands on his face. She put both of her palms on his cheeks and worked her way down to his chin. Then all the way back up to his bald head. His face had gotten thinner and as she worked her way down even more to his shoulders, she noticed they broadened out even more. Just as she thought, the young air bender wasn't so young anymore.

The two of them got up and Toph brushed off her dress. Then she pointed a finger at him.

"Where have you been? You said you would visit me two years ago. Do you realize the hell my parents are putting me through?"

Aang grabbed her slim finger and pushed it away from his face and chuckled a little bit.

"I'm sorry. But rebuilding those air temples isn't exactly a one-nighter."

Toph suddenly got interested. "Have you finished?"

"Well the Southern Temple is pretty much done. You know, all of the rooms that were knocked down were rebuilt and some new halls were added. I was going to the Western Temple next, but something came up."

"What?" Toph asked.

Aang shook his head. "Naw, don't worry about it. I'll tell you later."

He looked over the wall of the garden and saw the dent in the wall that was recently left by the unlucky guy that just tried to take advantage of Toph.

"You think the guy is okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. He might not have been walking straight and people thought he looked like he was going to faint, but I'm sure he'll live."

Aang laughed to himself. _Yep, Toph hasn't changed a bit._

Toph's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh!" She covered her mouth and looked absolutely horrified.

Aang looked worried. "What is it?"

"My parents are going to _kill_ me. This is probably the one millionth suitor I blasted clear across the garden. They're probably going to tie me up in my room if they find out."

Toph took Aang's hand and they ran across the garden. She took him across the bridge by the stream and brought him to the side of the house. She opened the door ever so carefully so as not to make a noise. She was still for a second and to her relief there was no one in the hallway. The two of them tiptoed through the house. They passed the dining room and heard her parents laughing and taking sips from their drinks. Toph stopped abruptly and Aang bumped into her from behind.

"The maids are on this floor. Do you think you can blow out all of the candles so we can sneak by?"

Aang smiled. "Of course."

He took in a deep breath and blew out quietly. All of the torches that lit the hallway were blown out immediately. Toph took his hand again and they ran past the maids who were hopelessly lost in the dark. Toph and Aang kept running until Toph felt a door that was unusually fuzzy compared to everything else she felt. This had to be the door to her part of the house. She reached for the door knob and closed the door behind her.

"This is where they put you?"

"Can you find a double door that I think is on the left side of the hall? I can't see over here."

Aang was horrified at the sight before him. Everything was wooden. The floor, the doors, the doorknobs, the bars on the windows, and even the candle bras on the wall were made out of polished wood.

He took her hand and led her down the hallway. Then he noticed that there were even more twisting hallways that branched off from this one. He picked one and started to look for her room. He looked left and right until he saw the large double door that Toph was talking about. He reached for the door knob and opened the door to her bedroom.

Toph knew her way around the room since she had spent days and says in here. She made her way to the bed and laid down on it. Her room was quite magnificent actually. There were beautiful silk curtains, silk sheets on her bed, a large armoire filled with clothes, and a large door on the other side of the room that he guessed was her wash room. It was pitiful to look at her and see her so miserable. He walked over to the side of the bed and sat down.

"So I'm guessing it's nearly impossible for you to get out, huh?"

"It's like a maze over here. I can't very well just walk outside and learn the hallways. They'd never be able to find me. So until the maids come and get me for something, I'm stuck here day and night."

Aang had looked down at her and saw her eyes water up just a little bit. He felt a sharp pain in his chest. He hated seeing her this way. Then he had to ask.

"Toph, why did you agree to this? You left the tea shop after about a month and said you had to go back home. But this isn't you and you know that. None of us understood why you left, and I've wanted to know for a while."

Toph sat up and wiped at her eyes. She looked at her hands in her lap and spoke in the softest voice he had ever heard.

"To tell you the truth, I'm scared of my parents. I didn't tell anyone this but my parents had sent out a scroll via messenger hawk under my name that found its way to the tea shop. After the war, it really wasn't hard to find me. They said that they missed me and that I had to come home. They wanted to make amends and make sure that they still had their daughter's love. I didn't have anything to lose so I went. I would've had you take me there, but it as one of those things I had to do myself. Anyway, you can get anywhere in the blink of an eye with a Bei Fong passport.

"Anyway, I came home and my parents greeted me like any parents who hadn't seen their child in ages would. They hugged me and kissed me and said how much I grew. Then they said they had a surprise for me. That's when I got worried. They weren't lying, but something about how their heartbeats sped up just the slightest got me worried. They brought me to the hallways made of wood. I got scared when I couldn't see anything. I would've ran out of there but there was no way I'd be able to get away from them if I couldn't see."

Aang looked as Toph brought her knees up to her chest and laid her chin on them. He turned to get a better look at her. She continued.

"They brought me inside my room and sat me down for a 'little talk.' They told me that this is what happens when I disobey my parents. It's a sad fact, but here in the Earth Kingdom, women don't get a say in much. I really couldn't argue with them. They said that if I even tried to escape, they would marry me off to the first person that came along."

"Isn't that what they're doing now?" Aang asked.

"Not really. I get to choose. But if I go out of line, they could easily get rid of me. They can't find out about this. They can do whatever they want to me now that I'm home. I can't even sneak out anymore. I'm literally trapped."

Toph looked down at the floor and tears started streaming down her face. Aang's heart was breaking to see his strong, determined, unmovable earth bending teacher break down like this. She was quiet for a long time. All of a sudden she spoke up again.

"You know what foot binding is?"

Aang looked at her again. "What's that?"

"It's pretty popular in the Earth kingdom actually. It hasn't been done to me before. I was visiting a neighboring rich family about ten years ago. They had a daughter. We walked in on them while they were binding her feet. She was only six. My mom told me they break your toes and curve them under your foot and wrap up your foot super tight. The arch of your foot breaks after a while and they repeat until your foot is small. Men seem to like it. My parents said they didn't want to do it to me when I was little because I was already blind. But if I was out of line one more time, they wouldn't hesitate."

Aang stood quiet for a while. "Is this why you can't stand to see them now? Forced marriages, foot binding, and never seeing the light of day again is what you'll be subjected to?"

Toph nodded her head. Aang was appalled. To think that he left Toph to possibly suffer all of this was unbelievable. He truly felt guilty, but he also felt sorry for her. She must've been so scared. Having to go through this day and night was terrible. Aang felt like barging in on those monsters having a blast downstairs while their own daughter was scared out of her wits upstairs.

"All of this actually didn't come to me until we were walking past them. When I got rid of the last suitor, they said extreme measures would be taken. I didn't realize it until it was too late. I'm so stupid."

Toph buried her face into her knees. Aang had had enough of this. He came to ask Toph for her help with something, but at this point, it was more important to get her out of here.

"C'mon," Aang said getting up.

"What are you talking about?" Toph replied.

"You're leaving. I was going to ask you to come with me to take care of some Avatar business with me, but you really just need to leave."

"Then what? Where will I go?"

Aang walked up to her. "You can come with me. You don't have to take this. Your parents are torturing you here. Anywhere is better than this."

Toph happened to stare into his eyes by sheer luck. She smiled a little. "Just like old times, huh?"

She turned around and walked toward her bed. She got down and got down on her knees and took out an old wooden box with a wooden latch on it. She opened the box and walked into the bathroom with it. Aang walked over to the door and stood about a few feet away from it. A few minutes later she stepped out of the bathroom in long green pants with a yellow apron and a bag flung over her shoulder. She had gold ankle bracelets on and kicked off those shoes that must've been terribly uncomfortable for her to wear. She looked exactly like she did when they used to travel together four years ago.

"So are you ready to rescue me and sweep me off my feet?"

Aang smiled and grabbed her hand. He opened the door to her room and led her through the maze of wood to the door which led into the main part of the house. Toph led the way from here. She saw three guards walking at the end of the hallway. She shushed him and brought up three boulders quietly behind them. She closed her hands and the boulders collided with the heads of the guards and they all knocked out.

Then Toph froze as she heard guards coming from behind her. They sped around the corner and saw Toph and Aang.

"Hey! Stop!"

"C'mon, hurry!" Toph yelled at Aang.

They ran through the end of the hallway where the three guards were left unconscious. The guards were close behind them as they sped around the corner down the main hall which led to the front of the house. Guards had come out of all of the rooms and surrounded them. Toph and Aang lifted their arms and brought them down on the ground which caused the floor open up underneath all of them. The guards fell into the crevices the two benders made and Toph closed them up, trapping them in the room below. They managed to find their way into the front hall where Toph's parents were standing.

"Ah," said Lao. "So the Avatar is back to kidnap our daughter?"

Toph stepped forward. "He's not kidnapping me. He's helping me get the hell out of here."

Lao started yelling at this point. "I warned you to behave yourself Toph. You do know what will happen if you disobey."

Toph looked down. Aang got scared wondering if she was defeated in her shining moment. But he knew better than that. She was this close to freedom. She wouldn't let it slip by this easily. She sighed and looked up at them straight into their eyes, again by sheer luck.

Toph lifted her hands into the air. "Mom…Dad…I'm sorry."

She crashed them down onto the floor and her parents' bodies were encased in earth from the neck down. Toph and Aang ran out the door. They made their way through the garden and Toph heard her father yell back at her.

"Get back here Toph! You know what will happen if you come back. Please don't make us have to do that."

She didn't care. They reached the wall of the garden. The guards were there waiting for her already. She shot out her arms and pushed them to the side. Aang pulled out his glider.

"Grab onto me!"

Toph wrapped her arms around Aang's neck as he took off from the ground straight into the air. They flew over the wall and flew over the wooden ground that reached from the wall of the garden to the giant gates. Aang cleared the gates of the mansion and continued out of Gaoling. He flew straight to the outskirts of town where he left Appa and Momo. He felt Toph hold onto his neck fiercely. He looked down at her and saw that she was crying again. Then he heard her laughing.

Toph couldn't believe it. She was freed from her prison again. This time, she had no intention of going back. After she had sent letters to her parent apologizing, they treated her terribly. She was so happy she was able to leave. She felt the wind against her face as Aang flew. She started crying tears of joy and even started laughing.

She was free.

* * *

**So Toph escaped her parents. It's about time. And Aang helped. What a guy to get her out of there like that. By the way, foot binding is all too real. Look it up on Wikipedia. It's really scary.**

**So that's it for now. Don't know when I'll update but I'll start writing soon. **

**REVIEW!!!! Thanks :-)**


	3. First Midnight Conversation

**Wow! I'm just going to stop telling you guys when I'm updating. It's getting highly annoying when I turn out to be wrong. Thanks for your comments guys. You make my day. Alright, on to the next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 3**

The last half hour was a blur for Toph. One second, she sneaks Aang into her room just to talk and catch up, and the next she spills out everything her parents ever did to her. Then she escaped her house for the second time, wiping out half of the guards in her house in the process. It was just so rushed she thought she was dreaming. But here she was nestled on the head of a large flying bison with her best friend at her side.

She looked at him for two seconds, but quickly looked away so that he wouldn't notice. There was a strange feeling that came over her whenever Aang was near her. She had absolutely no intention of telling him anything. She would've been happy just talking to him after so long. But something about his presence made her want to tell him the world. When he told her that she had to leave, she didn't want to. She didn't know how, but she had a feeling her parents would find her like last time and do who knows what to her. But that strange power erupting from him made her pack her things and escape.

The whole night had gone way too fast for her liking. She started rubbing her temples trying to make sense of things. Aang looked over at her.

"Are you okay?"

Toph looked up and straight ahead. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Sorry I pushed you out of there like that, but I can't stand to see you like that," he said.

"Don't apologize. I should be thanking you. You made me get out of there which is what I should have been doing all along. I don't know why I froze up like I did for the past few years. I finally got my other half back."

Then, Toph had a sudden realization. Aang didn't come just to break her out of her house. He came about something else and even said so.

"Why did you come and get me? What's wrong?"

Aang kept looking ahead at the sky. "I'll tell you when we land. It's kind of weird."

Toph crossed her arms. "I can handle weird just fine. Why won't you tell me?" she insisted.

Aang looked over at her this time. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. I don't want to get distracted. Besides, you always want to get straight to the point all of the time. Have some patience."

Toph blew her bangs out of her eyes and leaned back into the fur of Appa. The ride lasted for at least an hour. It seemed that Aang was trying to get as far away from Gaoling as possible. After what seemed like forever, Aang dipped down all of a sudden and landed in a clearing right on the side of a lake. Momo flew off the minute Appa touched the ground and went to find food most likely. Toph jumped off and was glad to touch the ground again. She leaned against Appa and slid to the ground. The breeze was rather cold tonight and she just let it hit her face for a while. She felt Aang sit down next to her as she admired the same breeze she did not even a few hours ago. She realized that she had no idea what Aang had been up to since she snuck off back to Gaoling. It was finally safe enough to ask him about it, so she went for it.

"So," Toph said after a long silence. "What did you do after I snuck off?"

Aang scratched his head for a moment thinking about what to say, she was sure.

"Well, I started just hanging around in Ba Sing Se for a while. Katara and Sokka had left for the South Pole, Zuko went off to the Fire Nation, and I stood around to deal with the fire nation rebels floating around. There were a lot of them to say the least. They set up a whole resistance underneath the city. So a year and a half was spent just busting some fire nation heads.

"After everything was sorted out there, I made my way to the fire nation to pay Zuko a visit. He had a lot of issues about treaties, taxes and reconstruction and so on that needed my immediate attention. Particularly, I needed funding for my own personal project: rebuilding the air temples. After six months of trying to get approval. I was finally able to make my way to the air temples and start rebuilding them to living conditions. Teo and his dad were nice enough to help me with the architecture. Then a scroll came one day over to the Western Air Temple. Word must've gotten out where I was. It was from a large hillside town nearby Omashu. It didn't exactly say what was wrong, but I figured it was important judging by the urgency. So I decided to gather up the gang for help and some quality catching up time."

"Is Katara, Sokka and Zuko coming soon?"

Aang smiled a little. "Yeah, we're actually going to pick them up soon after. Suki's coming along too."

"So it's just a coincidence that you decided to get me first, huh?"

Aang started to blush fiercely. "Aw, I'm only kidding. Bet you're excited to meet Katara again, right?"

Aang's smile fell. He turned away and got up. He found a pile of dry leaves nearby where they were sitting and lit them a fire with fire bending. He air bended himself onto Appa who seemed to be already asleep. Toph heard Momo chattering away, obviously back with some food of his own. Toph sat up and climbed up onto the saddle. She sat in front of Aang who had his head down.

"I-I'm sorry. Did something happen between the two of you?"

She couldn't tell what he was doing, but Aang stood quiet for a long time. Then he started talking again.

"There really isn't much to say. After we kissed on the balcony, she said something about forcing herself to love me and that she felt uncomfortable. The whole thing kind of broke off for me too. I mean, it was a nice crush to have, but I kind of knew she didn't like me. Besides, she was more of a mother than a potential girlfriend after a while anyway. Then she started hanging out with Zuko more and more and that's when I knew it was never going work out after that."

He laughed weakly. Toph didn't need her earth bending to tell her that there was something else. He seemed to take the matter too calmly. Katara was his first crush, the person he obsessed over for ages. There was something else wrong.

"Were you planning on proposing to her?"

Aang spoke in a very soft voice. "Eventually. When we were old enough, I thought about it being a serious option. But it wasn't going to work out obviously. After all of this time, I imagined that it was going to be a dream come true. She would be happy, I would be happy and everything would be enough. But it really doesn't bother me anymore. It was a long time ago. She's moved on from it and so have I. It's fine."

Toph scooted closer to him. "Are you sure about that? Look, when you like someone as much as you did, you don't lie to yourself and say it never happened. When you like someone, a part of you wakes up that you can't explain. You see the world in a new light, at least you do anyway. And the world seems to be smiling down at you. It's an amazing feeling to have. You feel like you're on top of the world and nothing can take you down. You don't really want to forget that do you?"

Aang fiddled with his fingers for a while, letting what Toph said sink in. "Is that how it felt with Sokka?"

Toph didn't move. She remembered all of the funny conversations that they used to have and all of the jokes they used to play on people. She remembered that whenever she would hang on to his arm, his heartbeat would speed up. She used to be ecstatic whenever she felt it. She thought that they would work out. It had to mean that they liked each other. But then Toph met Suki. That's when everything fell apart. Sokka's heartbeat sped up even faster when Suki was around. Then the two of them kissed at the Serpent's Pass. She didn't dare cry or say anything or even change her expression. She just let the situation tear her up on the inside. Of course she didn't forget the invigorating feeling she had when he obsessed over Sokka, but she knew all too well that it wasn't going to work out for her either.

"Sort of," she finally said.

"Why do you think stuff like this happens? I mean what did the two of us do to have to go through all of this?" Aang said.

"Maybe it's to prepare us. You know, toughen us up for next time."

Aang was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Everyone else had a broken first relationship already. Sugar Queen was head over heels for that Jet guy when she first met him right? Then Sokka's first was Yue. I mean, he hasn't really gotten over her completely either. Zuko mentioned this girl named Jin before. He said that he wanted it to work out between them, but stuff was too complicated at the time. Maybe she didn't break his heart, but he still had to miss out. Maybe those were our chances to miss out."

"So you're saying that no one's first crush works out?"

Toph sighed. "I don't think so. You need to be prepared for heartbreak before you can go into dangerous grounds like love. I guess that's how it works out for everyone."

The two of them stood quiet again. The leaves were rustling around them and it was starting to get cold. It didn't seem to faze the two teenagers, though. Toph wondered about what she just said. Sure you had to get your heart broken some time, but what if the two of them never found someone else? It was something that often crossed her mind whenever she thought of Sokka. Aang must've been in a worse state than she was. After all, Katara wasn't just a silly crush like Sokka was to Toph. Aang took it seriously. She was all he thought about, he tried to be next to her at all times, and eventually, there was some chemistry between them. There was plenty of opportunity for the two of them to have a relationship. That is why she couldn't understand why Aang would let it go so easily.

Aang spoke up. "Do you think about him a lot?"

"Yeah, sometimes," she answered simply. "Do you think about her a lot?"

"Yeah."

Aang looked over at Toph and saw that she started to cry. He blinked for a second and looked over at her. She was crying over Sokka.

"Toph, there's nothing wrong with you. You know that don't you?"

"I know, but I always thought it was going to happen you know," she said, still crying. "I gave him all of my attention, I talked to him, I laughed with him, I did _everything_ with him. I wanted him to like me so much. But he just didn't notice. He never noticed. He just saw me as some annoying little twelve-year old that had silly little crush on him. I'm an idiot for thinking it could ever happen."

Toph started breaking down into tears when she said this. She brought up her knees and started crying into them. Aang didn't know what to say to her. He couldn't say that he really did like her, because it wasn't true. He took his hand and lifted up her face. Her sightless eyes were watered over with tears and she looked absolutely miserable.

Aang was caught by surprise when she lunged at him and wrapped her arms around him. She started crying into his shoulder. He didn't know what to do except hug her back. He rocked her back and forth as she kept crying. He didn't know how long they stood like this, but eventually, Toph's sobs ceased and she fell asleep. Aang looked at the sky and saw that the moon was full. The fire that he lit had already fizzled out. He looked down at Toph's face. It was flushed by all of the crying she had done, but the moonlight brought a special glow upon her face. _She really does look pretty,_ he thought. He knew that they would both find somebody someday.

Aang lay down on his back and stared at the sky. Pretty soon, his eyes started getting heavy and he knew that he was tired. Slowly but surely, he dozed off into a dreamless sleep. The two benders slept soundly under the moon and stars, still unaware that they were in each other's arms.

* * *

**More fluffy stuff for you. Sorry this is moving so slowly. The plot starts to pick up in the next chapter, I promise so bear with me. **

**A little birdie told me that if you click on the button underneath this, it will make a certain writer very happy :D**

**Hope you liked this one!**


	4. Off to Omashu

**Chapter 4**

Aang was the type of person that was blessed with wondrous mornings. He never woke up in a bad mood, woke up too early, woke up too late, or even had any displeasing noises give him a rather strange wake up call. He was proud of his lucky streak. That is until he was stupid enough to wrap his arms around the world's greatest earth bender and fall asleep.

Aang had cracked his eyes open and let the sunlight shine into his eyes. He didn't open them all the way, but just enough so that he let some light in. He stretched his arms as he tried to remember what happened last night. Toph seemed to have been rather stressed out. Between worrying about discipline from her parents and escaping with their threats nipping at her back, she couldn't have been in the best mental state last night. She broke down into tears twice last night about things she normally wouldn't care too much about. She was the type of person that let life come to her and didn't try to react to it. As he let the morning fill his eyes, he wondered in Toph was better this morning. He got his answer all too soon.

All of a sudden, he felt a sharp pain in his left cheek. The force was enough to have him stumble to the edge of Appa's saddle and fall right off. He landed flat on his face and felt his body twitch slightly. He flipped himself over rubbing his cheek, he saw Toph looking down at him with an angry look in her eyes.

"Mind telling me what you were doing with your arms around me this morning?" she yelled down at him.

Aang knew he was in trouble. He stood up still trying to soothe the pain Toph so kindly inflicted on his cheek. "No, I…you were…last night…and…I didn't…but…"

Then a fairly large sized boulder knocked him in the head and sent him on the ground again. He yelled in pain rather loudly which scared Momo a considerable amount. The lemur flew over to Aang and knocked his knuckles against the blue arrow on Aang's forehead.

Toph jumped off of the bison and crossed her arms. She tapped the floor and brought Aang to his feet again. Then she stomped toward him and her eyes flashed.

"The next time I catch you with your hands on me without my knowing, you're going to wake up with _my _hands around your little neck! Got it?"

Aang saluted her. "Yes, sir…I mean ma'am…I mean…"

Toph held up her hand to stop his rambling again. "Don't, not this early in the morning. Let's just start heading over to wherever it is we're going. I _do not_ like flying and I want to get this over with."

With that she turned on her heel and made her way over to the bison and earth bended herself up on top. She laid down and crossed her right leg over her left.

_Well, Toph seems to be okay_, he thought as he climbed up on top of Appa and grabbed the reigns. He called for Momo and the chattering lemur flew over and nestled himself next to Aang on Appa's head.

"Well, you might want get comfortable because we have to head all the way to Omashu where we're meeting everyone. It's not exactly next door," he warned the earth bender whose temper he imagined was very short at the moment.

"Great," she answered with a sarcastic tone to her voice. "Fly away, oh mighty Avatar."

Aang rolled his eyes and turned in front of him. "Yip yip," he called and with that the flying bison lifted into the air and made its way through the skies. Aang didn't seem to have to guide Appa all too much. The bison was fairly familiar with the Earth Kingdom by now and knew where Aang was heading. He visited King Bumi all too much and it was hard not to remember where they were meeting the rest of the group.

Seeing that Appa had everything taken care of, Aang flipped over and looked towards the saddle where Toph was laying. He sat down on his stomach and stared at her. Knowing that he was watching her she turned her head toward his general direction.

"So I'm guessing I deserved all of that huh?" he asked with a smile on his face.

"You're darned right you did. Let me know before you decide to touch me," she replied.

"Sorry, but you weren't exactly in a happy mood last night."

Toph put her finger in his face. "Listen. Last night never happened and you will not hold me accountable for anything I did," she warned him.

"Whatever you say," he replied, rolling his eyes.

They stood quiet for a while. Aang was looking back at the mountains and valleys that had just left behind while Toph closed her eyes and started humming to herself. They had already been flying for over an hour and Toph was getting bored and anxious for her feet to touch the ground again. She started thinking about what happened before she left. Last she heard, Katara and Sokka had headed back to the South Pole to do some major reconstruction. Now that all of the men had returned from the war, there was no reason that the tribe had to continue on in little huts. Besides, Pakku and some of the benders from the Northern water tribe had already headed down there to start rebuilding their sister tribe, or so Toph was told.

Suki had headed over to Kyoshi Island about a month before Toph had departed talking about how she couldn't leave the other warriors to fend for themselves for too long. They often got a little lazy in terms of training and what not and she had to make sure that they hadn't let their fighting skills slack off for too long. Apparently, Zuko had headed back to the Fire Nation to resume his Fire Lord duties. Not something Toph would give up for traveling the world for, but then again she did go back home on her own accord which made boring meetings and running a country cower in fear.

Toph adjusted her green headband that she never seemed to take off. The wind was knocking her bangs sideways so she brushed them out of her eyes. It was weird traveling with Aang again. Not that she didn't like it, but it was strange to feel the sudden adjustment. She remembered the feeling of the saddle underneath her. They used to spend days up here just talking and getting where they were going. It was a beautiful feeling of freedom that had overcome her. She felt twelve years old all over again. The feeling the wind in her face brought back memories. Then Appa had started to dip down lower which broke her out of her reminiscing. Toph got up and felt her hair flying upwards.

"Are we landing?" she called over to Aang.

"Yup," he answered back. "I can see Omashu from here."

Toph silently thanked the spirits as Appa touched upon the ground n front of the city. Toph jumped off of the bison and felt the city before her. Not nearly as big as Ba Sing Se, but Omashu was a fairly large city. There was a huge gate before them and four people standing in front. Then, she felt a pair of feet start running toward her. The person wrapped their arms around Toph and greeted her warmly.

"Toph!" yelled Katara as she pulled Toph into a bone-crushing hug. "I'm so glad to see you. I haven't seen you in ages."

Toph laughed a little and pulled back. "Yeah, I gotta admit I missed your annoying nagging all those years, Sweetness." Katara rolled her eyes and laughed. Then Suki came running up to Toph and pulled her into another hug.

"Hey, how's my favorite earth bender doing?" she said as she pulled back and took a look at Toph. "Wow, you shot up! Come here Katara. She's almost taller than both of us."

The three girls stood side by side. Toph had noticed that she was probably only about a half of an inch shorter than both of the girls. Toph smirked at her small half-victory. "Well you both should know by now that I was going to get back at you guys for being so tall some day," she said. The three girls started laughing. Toph saw the guys talking about a few feet away in her field of vision.

"Oh, how have those Kyoshi warriors been doing?" Toph asked.

"Surprisingly well, actually. Who would ever believe that Ty Lee of all people would keep all of those girls in check. It's been pretty dull around there all this time. It's about time I got some real action in."

"Wait a minute. Ty Lee an authority figure? You've gotta be joking," Katara said.

"Yeah, I didn't believe it either. I walked in on training and saw her yelling at them to get their act together and 'show some effort.' I thought I was dreaming."

Toph smiled. She had to admit that Suki had grown on her. Maybe it was the whole tough earth kingdom girl thing, but Suki was alright. Not nearly as girly as Katara though. Although Katara had improved in terms of her motherly nature.

"So what's the South Pole looking like?" Toph asked Katara.

"It's going really well actually. We've got a main palace in the center where we hold all of our meetings. You should've seen Dad's face when he walked into the meeting hall. It was like a little kid walking into a candy shop. Then there are some streets leading off and some decent sized houses. We also have this huge port for ships. It was Sokka's idea since the last time a ship came it made a huge crack through half of a village. It's nowhere near what the North Pole looks like, but it's a work in progress."

Then Toph felt somebody sneak up on her from behind. It started running faster and got within three feet of her. She raised a rock wall which stopped the person from getting anywhere near her and knocked the person on its back.

"You couldn't let me get you once?" said Sokka in a whiny voice.

"Nope, not at all, Snoozles," she said as she gave Sokka a brief hug. Then Zuko came up beside her.

"Ah, well if it isn't the almighty Fire Lord Sparky," Toph joked as she pretended to bow in front of. Sokka joined in on the fun and they both started laughing when they came back up.

"Nice to see you too Toph," he said.

"Not losing your mind from hearing subjects complain to you all day, are you?" she asked with a smirk across her face.

"You have no idea. Plus with getting rid of all the colonies, reconstructing the nation, listening to merchants drone on and on, I needed a break. Hey what's going on anyway?" He turned himself towards Aang.

"See for yourself," he said as he threw Zuko the urgent scroll from the desperate town. Everyone else, save for Toph of course, read through the letter with curious looks on their faces. Sokka looked up at Aang completely confused.

"What could've been so bad that they needed your help this fast? I mean, it looks like whoever wrote this was in a rush."

"Have you even heard of there being another town over here?" Zuko asked. Everyone shook their heads.

"Maybe they're being held hostage," Katara suggested.

"I don't think so," Toph said. "If they were being held hostage, chances are they wouldn't have been able to send out a messenger hawk. Maybe they were under attack."

"Whatever is going on, we have to get over there quick," Aang suggested.

"Do we even know where this town is?" Suki asked. "All it says in the letter is that it's near Omashu."

Toph walked over to the edge of the hill that the gates were on top of. She brought down her foot with incredible force and stood still for a few seconds. Then she turned back around towards the group.

"There are a lot of buildings east of here about three miles away. But I can't tell if there are people there from this far away."

"Hey, a bunch of buildings is a good enough start for me," Sokka said.

"Better take Appa. It's not that far away, but we should get there as soon as possible." And with that, Aang hopped up on top of his furry friend's head as everyone else climbed on top of his saddle.

"Just like old times, huh?" Katara said smiling.

"Let's just hope that we're not too late. Yip yip!"

The ride there was relatively quiet. Everyone was looking ahead trying to spot the town that seemed to be in great danger by the urgency. The group started traveling straight into a dense forest which caused Aang to pull up a bit. There were no signs that anybody even came through here on a daily basis. It was completely abandoned and didn't even have a path through it. The town was probably behind all of this wood which would explain why no one knew about it. The forest went on for three miles and sure enough, there was a large clearing with houses looming in the distance just like Toph had said. They left the bison and the lemur behind in a thicket of bushes and trees so that they would stay hidden and not run into any danger while they left.

As they walked through the last bit of wood, they noticed clothes hanging, some toys left around, and even some swings hanging from the tree branches. Sokka took out his sword and slashed away at the overgrown bushes that were covering the rest of the way to the village.

"They must not have been out of their village for ages," Sokka said.

He finally got rid of the remaining bushes that were in front of them and the six of them walked out into the clearing that held a large town. There were buildings all over the place, houses that reached the sky, and a large meeting house in the center of the town. Walking through the town, they noticed that there was no sign of anyone running or walking through the streets. Some of the windows were broken, carts were left tipped over on their sides in the middle of the road, stores were closed, and the whole place was silent.

The town was completely deserted.

* * *

**Sorry for being gone for so long. Christmas leaves me with no time on my hands between cooking, cleaning, and buying presents for three million people. A creepy way to end the chapter, don't you think? I might actually get the next chapter up tomorrow or even tonight if I'm lucky. Tell me if you liked it!**


	5. Koh

**Chapter 5**

"I thought a message came from here asking for help," Katara said with a bit of anxiety on her voice as it shook.

"There was," Aang answered back. "I'm not crazy. I wouldn't imagine an urgent letter just for the fun of it."

"Maybe we're too late," Suki offered.

"No way, there has to be someone here," Sokka replied.

Toph walked a little ahead of the rest of the group. Something else was going on. It didn't make sense that in only two weeks a whole town would be pleading for help and then not be here. Unless the whole town didn't write the letter. Maybe they were being picked out one by one and maybe they got here when the entire town was finished off. But what sort of trouble could cause all of this? It couldn't have been fire nation rebels. They wouldn't just desert a whole town like this. They would rough them up a bit, sure. But leaving a town completely barren and without a single source of life anywhere was a little extreme for them. Besides, the whole place would be scorched. Right now, there was just nothing.

"Toph?"

She shook her head as the voice brought her out of her thoughts. She turned around and ran back a pretty far distance back to the rest of the group.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Can you tell if there is anyone here? Maybe they're hiding," Zuko repeated.

"There are no vibrations anywhere in this wasteland other than ours," she offered back.

"Well there has to be something," Sokka said. "Do you see a messenger hawk anywhere?"

"That's probably gone too if no one else is here," Katara said.

"Maybe rebels came through," he said.

"I doubt it," Toph said shaking her head. "They wouldn't wipe out a town this big. Besides, even if they did, they would've burned it down, not leave it abandoned like this."

"Well then what else could do this? A big scary monster?"

"What's that?" Aang asked.

The group turned to where Aang was running towards. He made his way to the front of the large meeting hall in the middle of the town. The doors were broken down and one of them was barely hanging on to the hinges. No surprise there. But that wasn't what Aang went to go see. He started looking behind the building where a clear path to the other side of the deep woods was visible. At the end of the path, the trees started forming again. But they were all bent off to the side as if some large creature took off that way. The underbrush was completely obliterated and was just laying flat across the floor of the woods. Everyone was able to see clearly through the gaping hole in the woods (of course Toph could only make out the shape of the trees).

"What in the world?" Zuko said with his mouth hanging open.

"What could've done _that_?" Katara said hanging on to Zuko's arm, completely terrified.

Toph was beyond confused at this point. In fact the whole situation was getting a little strange and it really needed to stop. She didn't come here to get freaked out by silly ghost stories. But that seemed a serious option considering what was going on in this weird town.

"Well there's only one way to find out," Toph said and started into the hole in the woods until an arm caught her mid-stride.

"You can't go out there by yourself," she heard Aang say. "What if you get hurt?"

"Well if you're so scared, you can come along too," she offered, losing a bit of her enthusiasm.

"I'm not…" Aang started, but then he sighed. Top was the last person to argue with right now.

"What about us?" Sokka offered.

"Look around and see if you find anything. This _thing_ had to have left some clues behind. In the meantime, Toph and I will see what's up over here."

Katara had a worried look on her face and stepped forward. "You shouldn't do this," she said.

_Oh no. Here comes her motherly lecture,_ Toph thought.

"You don't know what that thing is," she continued. "You can get killed."

"Relax Sweetness. You're talking about me and Aang: the world's greatest earth bender and the avatar. We'll be fine."

Katara hesitated. It wasn't a good plan. Nobody knew what was in that wood and Toph was ready to maim herself just to find out what it was. But if there had to be two people to go, she supposed it would be them.

"Fine, just hurry up. We'll stay here."

"If we're not back in an hour, come and get us," Aang said.

The other four went off and started to scour the city. Toph and Aang turned around and started making their way towards the heart of the wood. The forest was quiet, of course it probably would be after a large who-knows-what came through and made a mess. The flattened out bushes crunched under Toph's feet as they trudged along in a weird forest. They continued on like this for a long time. The tunnel in the woods kept going and Toph felt that the trees were a lot taller even though they were bent to accommodate this rather large intruder.

"What do you think can make something this big?" she spoke up suddenly.

"What?"

"I mean this is totally unnatural. Do you have an idea of what this is?"

Aang looked down. "I might."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a hunch. But I just hope I'm wrong," he said walking a little bit ahead.

Toph scrunched up her eyebrows in frustration. There was something he knew that she didn't. Could he have run into something like this already? She was about to ask further about what he was talking about, but she let it go when she felt something strange. There were large vibrations coming ahead, but they were rather odd. Normally, she felt two vibrations from people: their movements and their heartbeat. She heard a bunch of very little vibrations tapping against the ground rather quickly. They were all too fast and too off beat to be a heartbeat though. She couldn't pick out one single vibration she could classify as a heartbeat.

She must've stopped in her tracks because Aang had called her name for her to hurry up.

"I feel something," she said. "But you're going to think I'm crazy. It feels like it has a hundred little legs, but there's no heartbeat. It's really big though. I don't know what it is."

Aang's face froze in terror. "Like a giant centipede," he said. It wasn't really a question.

Toph nodded her head. Then the two of them turned toward the sound of trees snapping and the crunching of leaves and bushes. Aang looked up. There was no light coming through in this part of the wood. Even though the trees were bent, they were too tall to show the sky. Now Aang was in the dark just like Toph was. The sounds were getting louder and closer. There was no way they could make a run for it now.

Aang leaned over to Toph and whispered to her. "Whatever you do, don't show any emotion. Not even when you're fighting. Keep a straight face."

"But…"

"Just trust me on this one. Please."

Toph was confused but listened and dropped the feared expression on her face. Then the culprit of the deserted town stepped out in all its glory. Toph brushed her feet against the ground and saw it clearly. She couldn't move as she suppressed a look of terror

* * *

"Oh my gosh," Suki said rather loudly.

"What is it," Katara said coming over to Suki's side. They were inside a small house on the edge of the town looking to see if anyone or anything had left any clues.

"Take a look at this little girl's dolls," Suki said handing her a doll.

Katara picked it up and looked it over. It was a beautifully dressed doll. It had a green dress on it with gold thread lined along the edge of it. But when she turned the doll over to see it face, Katara couldn't help but be as shocked as Suki was. The doll had no face. The button eyes and fake smile that Katara had expected to see were simply not there. Katara dropped the doll and looked at the pile that Suki had next to her. They were all the same. Doll after doll had no expression, no smile, no nothing.

"Why would all of her dolls be like this?" Katara said finally.

Just then the guys came in to the little bedroom with similar looks of terror on their faces.

"You girls aren't going to believe this," Zuko said as Sokka held out the messenger hawk in his arms.

The hawk wasn't breathing. Although once you got a look at it you could see why. Just like the dolls, the messenger hawk was missing its eyes, its beak, basically its whole face. The poor hawk probably suffocated. Sokka laid it down on the floor in front of him and was just as freaked out as everyone else.

"Now I'm starting to get creeped out," Sokka said with his voice slightly shaking.

"Wait a minute," Katara said suddenly. "Aang told me about this. When he went to the spirit world, he ran into a spirit that could steal the face of anyone who dared show any sign of emotion."

"So you're saying a spirit rolled through here?" Sokka said.

"It would explain the hawk and the dolls."

Just then, a loud crash rumbled outside. The four ran outside of the house and saw a cloud of dust rise from the trees of the forest. Then they saw another one come up shortly after.

"They must've found it," Suki said.

"And I think it found them. Come on," Sokka yelled as the rest of the group followed him into the forest.

* * *

"It's so nice to finally see you again, Avatar," the creature said. "And I see you've brought a little friend too," it said as it circled its long body around the two of them and brought its head next to Toph's.

"Pretty face. But a bit boring. Why don't you smile for me?" it asked.

Toph brought up a slab of Earth and knocked its head out of the way. "Don't ever touch me," she said with a bit of venom in her voice.

"Oh, come now. I just want to have a little variety in my collection. After all, I have to find my special treat."

"What are you talking about, Koh," Aang said, obviously impatient.

"You don't know? You of all people should," he said as he snickered and turned his head away from the other two.

He came back with the face of a beautiful woman that Aang quickly identified as Ummi's, Avatar Kuruk's love. "You see, the Avatar isn't the only one that can reincarnate and have extraordinary power. There are a handful of young ladies that have similar energy. Since I can't seem to take your power, Avatar, I have to settle with the women. Much easier to catch if you ask me." He chuckled and brought back his original face.

"So I'm on a mission to find it. It's a shame that town had to go. They didn't seem to have what I was looking for." He made his way behind Toph again. "Although, it wouldn't hurt to try one more time…"

Aang brought out his staff and brought a gust of air and brought Koh on his back. "Get away from her," he yelled.

"I really wish you hadn't done that," Koh said as he lunged for the two of them.

This time Toph brought up three boulders and shot them each and Koh. Two managed to hit and they brought him on his side. Koh seemed angered so he stood up tall and crashed down on the ground to try and crush the two benders. It brought up a cloud of dust. Koh tried it again and missed. Both Aang and Toph brought up rock on either side of him to try and pin him into place, but Koh already slipped out. They tried to get away from him, but he circled around them and appeared in front of them again.

"I don't like it when my victims try to run," he said in an eerily evil voice.

Toph tried to keep her face somber, but it was hard when she had a giant bug attacking her. Aang shot fire out of his palm right into Koh's face. Koh screamed and fell backward. He growled a very animal like growl. She heard Aang fall backwards and hit a tree with incredible force. Koh had him pinned and was suffocating him by the way his breathing shortened.

"Let him go!" Toph screamed.

"I don't think so. It's time the Avatar learned his lesson."

"No!" she screamed brought her arms up.

Aang looked at Toph's expressionless face and was shocked at what he saw. Her eyes seemed to have been glowing. Not like the way he would when he would go into the Avatar State. It was different. First off, the light was green. Plus, they just flickered a bright green light for two seconds. Koh didn't miss it. He looked awe struck. Toph bended a huge wall of earth, taller than Aang had ever seen her do, and turned it sideways. Then she brought her hands forward and the next thing Aang knew, he was on the floor gasping for air while Koh was screaming in agony a few yards away from him. Aang didn't see the wall go by. It happened so fast. Then Toph bended the biggest boulder Aang had ever seen Toph bend. It was ten times bigger than anything she had ever bended. Toph was the kind to show off so he knew. It touched the leaves of the trees and brought light shining through. Then just like the last time, Aang didn't see the large boulder go by him. He just saw it collide with Koh with a very loud smack which made him collapse where he was.

Toph brought her hands down. She had never seen herself bend like that before. She wondered if it was because she was trying to save Aang that she did that. But she felt a strange power course through her veins as she bended. She would've smiled if she didn't have to keep a straight face. She couldn't believe it herself. But then, she felt her power draining fast. Her legs started shaking and she couldn't stand up anymore. Her head started throbbing and she was going numb. She felt really dizzy and couldn't keep her eyes open. She collapsed to the ground, barely awake.

"Toph!" Aang yelled as he came over to her.

"So, my special treat's name is Toph," Koh said as he disappeared through the trees, laughing to himself.

"Toph, wake up. Toph!" Aang said as he shook her shoulders.

That was the last thing she heard before she lost consciousness.

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**This is finally starting to pick up. For all of you die hard Taang fans, there will be fluff in the next chapter. So be patient. Comments, concerns, and cries of outrage are welcome. I take suggestions very well. Hope you enjoyed. **


	6. Awakening

**Gosh guys, I'm really sorry about the late update. My laptop is on the fritz and I still haven't gotten it fixed yet. I'm sorry like a thousand times. **

**Much thanks to imotel and Ladyluck523 for reviewing all of my chapters. They mean a lot. Thanks!**

**Anyway, here we go!**

**

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**

**Chapter 6**

_Toph didn't know where she was, but she couldn't bend. There was no noise around her; the air was humid and stuffy. She felt around for a wall and felt something rough and wet. It felt oddly like the wall of a cave. No bending allowed in a cave of all places. This started to annoy her. _

_She groped the walls trying to find a way out. Then Toph heard a noise. A whisper? Maybe. She wasn't entirely sure. All she knew was that any sound was better than no sound at all. As she kept forward, the noise got louder. Now it was starting to sound less and less like a whisper and more like laughter. It didn't sound like child laughter. It sounded like deep, sadistic laughter. _

_Toph stopped, a little unsure of whether to keep following the noise. She turned around to go back but she was suddenly knocked to the ground. Something cold and hard held her feet together. She tried to kick them loose, but it was no good. Then she started getting dragged away. Toph dug her nails into the ground and tried to stop herself from going further, but it was no use. Then she heard the voice loud and clear._

"_Come to me my special gift."_

_The restraints on her feet extended out to her legs and torso and squeezed her tight. What were these? Arms? Thousands and thousands of arms? She couldn't think. The arms were crushing her lungs and she couldn't breathe. The voice kept on going. _

"_Come to me."_

_She felt herself being dragged further, the air cold and uncomfortable now. The arms let her go._

_Toph screamed as she felt her face being ripped off._

* * *

"Is Toph going to be okay?" Katara asked.

"She'll be fine. She's been through worse after all," Zuko replied.

"Yeah, but she's been out for a week. Plus Aang hasn't left her side the whole time. I have to bring him his food and he sleeps in that chair without a care. I'm worried about all three of you."

"All _three_ of us?" Zuko asked.

Aang heard clothes rustling from behind the door. They were probably getting closer together. He could almost tell.

"Yeah. Zuko, I haven't seen or talked to you in years. Ever since you went back to the fire nation, you haven't been the same. You're always tired, always stressed, you never want to talk to anyone, or at least that's what I hear. But looking at you now you look terrible. And what if…"

"What?" Zuko asked.

"What if… I…never see you again? I've missed you so much Zuko. I can't be away from you anymore."

Aang heard more clothing shift. How close were these two getting?

"Look at me," Zuko said in a whisper. "Don't worry about what's going to happen after we all leave. That's a long way away. We have each other now don't we? Isn't that enough for you not to worry?"

Then the clothes started rustling again. Then a small noise came from Katara. A moan? Were they kissing? Aang didn't want to keep listening to find out. He covered his ears and waited for them to walk away. Aang didn't have a problem with Katara being with Zuko. He really didn't. In fact, he kept his cool whenever they were together. All he wanted was for Katara to be happy. To go on with life as if nothing ever happened between them. He didn't want to confuse her, so he kept his distance. He was happy for the two of them. But that didn't mean he wanted to stick around and watch them.

Aang looked to his side and looked over at Toph. He didn't know what to think of her anymore. He couldn't help but notice the not-so-subtle changes that took place. She got taller, her hair was spread out all over the pillows, a lot longer. Her face and body thinned out, and her body developed over the years. But he often had to shake thoughts like that from his head. They weren't things to think about when you looked at your best friend. She looked beautiful, sure. But she was such a clever and bold person that he could never quite stay away from her. She was worth sitting here for days making sure that she was okay. His best friend was worth it.

He was too worried about her to think about her like that much anyway. Toph hadn't moved a muscle in days. She just stayed there on the bed and didn't move. If it wasn't for the the fact that her chest was rising up and down in rhythm, you would think she was dead. It was hard to see her that way, but Aang felt he needed to be there. He wanted to tell her a lot of the things that have been on his mind, all the fights Katara and Sokka got into, about Omashu and ow they should look around sometime, and so many things that filled the time as he waited to hear Toph's voice again. It never came. He covered hs eyes and leaned his elbows on hi lap. He wished she would just wake up.

Then Toph started tossing violently in her sheets. Her limbs tangled them up and she couldn't hold still.

"Toph?"

Her breathing was all wrong. It seemed like she was being suffocated. She was gasping for air but now she was keeping her arms tight at her side. She wasn't waking up.

Aang grabbed Toph's arms and sat her up in the bed.

"Toph? Can you hear me?"

She had sweat and tears all over her face as she struggled against his hold and tried to break free. She was having a nightmare no doubt about it, but she couldn't hear him. The last thing he needed was for her to hurt herself. He shook her furiously trying to get her to open her eyes.

"Toph wake up!"

Toph's eyes popped open suddenly and she started screaming. Aang kept his hold on her until she stopped. She started breathing heavily and her eyes were still glazed over like she was still getting over the dream. Toph reached her hands out to touch Aang's face. Then she swung her legs over the bed and brought her foot down. A small tremor went through the floor. She sighed with relief and flung her feet back onto the bed.

"What are you doing?" Aang asked.

"Just making sure my bending works," she said in a voice that was almost inaudible.

Aang hugged her. "It's about time you woke up!" he said. Toph smiled a little and shrugged him of and rubbed her face.

Toph crossed her legs and sat up straight in the bed this time. Aang reached over to the small bedside table and handed her a towel. She took it and rubbed her flushed face with it. She breathed in and out a few times before handing it back to him.

"What happened?" Toph asked with a confused look in her eyes.

"Well, you sort of fainted. The others came by to help you back to Omashu after that fight. King Bumi said we could stay here as long as it takes you to recover."

"Geez, you didn't have to do that! I'm fine. I was probably out for a few hours, no need to overreact."

Aang scratched the back of his head. "Actually, you've been out for a week."

Toph tried to give Aang a confused look, failing miserably and giving his shoulder one. She shook her head a little with the same look. "A _week_!? Damn, how the hell did that happen? That _thing_ didn't even touch me. What happened to me?"

Aang didn't answer right away. What did happen to her? All he could remember was Toph's eyes glowing green and then Koh being on his back and running away. He himself wasn't sure what happened. He couldn't even begin to explain. He gave Toph a worried look, but then quickly caught himself.

"I'm not entirely sure. It happened pretty fast," Aang said trying to remember the situation. "Anyway, what were you dreaming? It seemed pretty intense by the way you were flailing around."

Toph scrunched her eyebrows together. "Nothing really. I was in this weird cave, but I couldn't bend. I kept walking closer and I heard this voice. Then it started laughing really creepy. I turned around but these cold things were wrapping around my body and I couldn't breathe. It kept saying 'Come to me' and I tried to get loose but I couldn't. Then it started to rip my face off. That's when I woke up. Why?"

Aang looked shocked and couldn't place his finger on it. Somehow, something at the back of his subconscious thought that this nightmare felt familiar. He couldn't quite reason why. He looked out side. It was pretty dark out, but too late. He kept trying to make himself remember why Toph's dream felt so familiar to him. It was like he dreamt it or maybe he even just heard it. The dream seemed a lot worse than she had made it seem by the way she was reacting. He wasn't sure. But he had to bring Toph downstairs. He would talk to her about it later.

"No reason. C'mon, we need to get you downstairs. You're probably starving and everyone should know you're awake."

Toph grabbed her clothes and had Aang turn around so she could get dressed. Aang led the way to the dining room, trying not to let the strange dream get to him too much.

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**Sorry for the filler chapter. I just didn't want to leave this without an update for so long. I'm praying for my laptop back. Then the real romance starts. But for now, I can only salvage so much. I'm sorry again. They'll get better once my source of power returns. Please don't get mad at this chapter. I personally rather this than a month without anything. I'll make up for it later, though. **

**Do I have to repeat my self? Good. You already know what I ask every time.**


	7. Second Midnight Conversation

**I have made up for my completely infuriating filler chapter and I bring you a regular sized one. **

**Thanks to imotel, Ladyluck523, lambtastic, and Adridere for reviewing Chapter 6.**

**And thank you Spirit-of-the-Black-Magnolia for reviewing Chapter 5. **

**If there is something that is really bothering you about this, tell me. I want to know stuff like this. But also know that there is a difference between flaming and constructive criticism. I'll give you a hint: one of them is not a very nice thing to do AT ALL. **

**I don't own Avatar and sadly I never will.**

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**Chapter 7**

Toph felt terribly disoriented as she let Aang pull her through the long hallways in Bumi's palace. She tried to concentrate on the voice from her dream for it was slowly slipping away from her memory. She couldn't understand why it bothered her so much and why the voice seemed to be poking her brain begging for her to focus on it. She tried, but the faint footsteps that she and Aang were making were highly distracting. She drowned out all of the noise that she could, which wasn't hard since the whole palace was quiet except for them.

"_Come to me…"_

Toph shuddered. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on whom it belonged to. The icy edge, the evil implication, and the sense of danger that washed through you every time you heard it; it was normally something you would remember right? It's not exactly a memory you push to the back of your head. But how would she know? Toph had never been this terrified in all her life, so for all she knew growing wings and flying could be normal. She heard their footsteps echo as the two of them stepped into a new room.

It was a large circular room with expensive carpets covering the floors. There were pillars of what seemed like marble with intricate designs on it that just screamed Earth Kingdom architecture. A long table was right in the middle of it. They walked across the room and entered another one. Aang pulled her to a table and had her sit down on what felt like a small stool. She heard Aang rummaging around in cupboards and drawers.

"Wait, you made it sound like everyone was awake," Toph asked suddenly. "Where is everyone?"

"It must be pretty late. I had no idea it was so close to nighttime," he replied.

"Well you've been outside the whole time. Shouldn't your sense of time be up to date?"

Toph heard Aang put things on the counter and started mixing some of them together. He often picked a few containers up, shook them, and mixed it together. She heard water boiling and noodles being added. Was he cooking for her?

"Well, not really. I heard Katara and Zuko talking not too long ago, but I guess they were heading for bed. The dining room is empty, so might as well just come to the kitchen." Toph herd a few things plop into the boiling water.

Toph was curious. "What are you making?" she said smelling the food from across the kitchen.

"Curry noodles. Sorry, don't know any meat recipes."

Toph laughed. "I'd be creeped out if you did."

Aang water bended the water out of the pot and placed the noodles on the plate along with whatever else he was mixing before. Toph heard a few clattering noises, and then she felt a warm plate on her lap a few minutes later. Aang dragged a chair to sit in front of her. Toph started digging into her food which smelled almost as delicious as it tasted.

"Not bad, Twinkle Toes. Thanks."

Aang smiled a little. "No problem."

Toph ate a little bit of her food and felt her stomach fill up slowly. She tried to get her mind off the dream for a while. It was bothering her way too much. She felt a prickling feeling on her face. She looked up and the feeling immediately went away.

"What're you looking at?" she asked Aang.

"Huh? Nothing, nothing," he said quickly.

"So," Toph asked. "How did you know the exact moment I woke up and then not know that it's almost night time? Were you coming in the room every 10 seconds?" She laughed at the last part. No doubt that Aang was that paranoid. It was pretty much his nature to act like that.

"Um," he started, scratching the back of his head. "I…kind of…never…left," he forced out.

"Not even to sleep?" she asked awestruck.

"Nope," he said looking away, extremely embarrassed.

Toph widened her eyes. He never left her bedside? She quickly backtracked to all of the times that she was ever sick at her parents' house. They never stood next to her the whole time she was sick. If anything, they never came into the room. The maids were the only ones that watched her. But they left her room to sleep in their own. Aang didn't bother. She was touched, but of course didn't let him know that. His heartbeat was going faster. She decided to change the subject.

"Did you see anything while I was fighting? I mean, why else would I knock out for a week, right?"

Aang suddenly sat upright. "Actually, I did see something weird."

Toph scrunched her eyebrows together. "Well what was it?"

Aang scratched his head again. He didn't seem to sure about it himself. "Well, do you remember anything?"

Toph thought for a second. "Not sure. That thing had you up against a tree and the next thing I knew I was on the floor and he was saying my name…" Toph stopped mid-sentence. The voice in her dream was coming back to her. That was why it sounded so familiar. She had heard it before just like she thought. It made her shiver again. Now she was dreaming about it. Or was it getting into her dreams? She wasn't sure, and she really didn't want to know.

"I think you had me in your arms. Right?"

"Yeah, you passed out right there. You must've forgotten the whole fight."

"What fight? That thing didn't touch me, I told you. You were saying that back in the room too."

"After Koh got me up against the tree, you screamed and sent this huge wall of rock straight for him. He let me go, but I didn't even see it go by. It went so fast. Then when he was on the floor, you bended this gigantic boulder and hurled it straight at him. Your moves went by so fast, plus you've never bended anything that big before. It was the size of this palace. I didn't think that was humanly possible. Anyway, after he was on the floor you fainted. But that wasn't even the weird part."

Toph took another bit of food. "Well then what was the weird part? Everything else sounded pretty cool," she said with only a bit of smugness in her voice.

"Your eyes were glowing green."

Toph took in a deep breath but forgot she had food in her mouth. She started coughing. Aang took a step forward, but she held out a hand to stop him. She pounded her chest to get the food back down.

"What did you say!?"

"Look, I'm not kidding. Your eyes were glowing this really weird color and after they stopped you fainted. I was just as freaked out as you were."

"So what are you saying? Am I a spirit freak or something?" Toph wasn't laughing now.

Aang sighed. "I don't know."

His voice came out choked. Neither of them knew anything at this point. All Aang wanted was a little family reunion. It wasn't much to ask for. If anything, it was nothing at all. Now there was a whole new mess after them. And now it didn't just involve Aang. Somehow she got sucked into this. Aang was just sitting there with his head down, not moving. Toph was so confused she felt she could do the same. She wondered how everyone else would react to this. The two of them weren't doing so great themselves.

Toph started picking at her food again. "You mentioned its name."

Aang looked up at her. "What?"

"You mentioned its name," she repeated. "Kai?"

"Koh," he corrected.

"Whatever. Who's he?"

Aang froze up. She could already tell he didn't like talking about it. But the thing wiped out a whole town, tried to wipe out Aang, and apparently wanted to take her out, too. She had a right to know what the heck it was.

"Koh is a spirit. He is also known as the Face Stealer. Show any emotion and he'll steal your face. That's why I told you to keep a straight face back at the forest."

"Which is almost impossible when you're fighting," she interrupted.

"Anyway, he had a problem with one of my past lives, Avatar Kuruk. Apparently he stole the face of the girl he loved, Ummi. After that, Kuruk tried to kill Koh, but he failed. Koh and the Avatar have been on bad terms ever since. But I have no idea why he was calling you 'his gift.'"

"So that's what I dreamed about: an evil face-stealing spirit."

Toph was beyond confused. Nothing was making sense. But then she remembered something. "Wait, he was talking about some weird power the some women have. Do you know what that is?"

Aang shook his head. "No idea."

Toph flipped through the evidence: the weird face stealer bothering her in her dreams, the powerful women, the fact that her eyes were glowing, and the weird super-human bending. Toph gasped. She looked in Aang's direction with utter shock on her face. Aang must have realized the same thing. He brought in a sharp breath and was staring at her.

"You don't think…" he started

"Well, it's the only thing that makes sense," Toph countered. "I mean, come on. Think about it! Why would I be dreaming about the thing if he wasn't after me? And why would he be after me if I didn't have something he wanted? It all makes sense."

Aang stopped for a moment. She felt his grow extremely tense. Anger was coming out of him, she could tell.

"That means he's going to keep coming after you."

Toph froze. She remembered what the town looked like to her. It was completely deserted. There was no life anywhere. Koh was to blame for that. Plus she remembered how easily he had Aang pinned to that tree. This was the same boy that took down the Fire Lord, the most powerful man in the world. This was the same boy who had managed to save the entire world despite all the odds that were against him. And he was so easily subdued by this. Toph could have tried everything she had in her. But she didn't know how to bring up that power again. Plus she couldn't be fainting every time she tried. Then the painful realization came to her. Neither of them had a chance. No. She shook her head fiercely. She wouldn't think that.

"Well, we have to do _something_," she said.

"What are we supposed to do? We don't stand a prayer against him."

"Stop thinking like that. Do you want this thing to beat us? Keep thinking like that and we'll definitely lose."

Aang got serious again. "Look, it really doesn't matter how strong he is. He is not getting anywhere near you. I'll make sure of that."

Normally, Toph would have said something smart about this. She really didn't need another person's protection. Not at all actually. But something about Aang's determination to keep her safe caught her off guard. He never bothered to care that much. Looking at all the he did for her in the past few days, nothing made sense to her as to why he would do all of this. Because she was extremely curious, she was inclined to ask.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

Toph took a deep breath. "Why do you care so much? You never did before. I always fought for myself. Why is this time different?"

Aang stood quiet for a while and Toph turned her empty plate around in her hands waiting for an answer. Was it really so complicated for him to answer such a simple question? She expected an answer like _"You're my friend. I have to help you"_ or _"What kind of person do you think I am. I have to help everyone."_ It was a simple answer. Though it must not have been such a simple question, because Aang still hadn't given her an answer.

After what seemed like hours of waiting –which it probably was –Aang spoke in the softest whisper he could manage.

"I'm really not sure myself."

Toph raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you sure about?"

"I'm sure that whenever I see you struggling for your life, I feel like I have to be there for you. I'm sure that when you can't stand something, I have to help you get rid of it—even if it's the littlest or the biggest of things. I'm sure that if you're going to fight, I'm going to fight with you. If you're going down, I'm going down with you. Toph, you're my teacher, and my best friend. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Even if you refuse help, I'm going to be close by. I can't…I—I can't…"

Toph was speechless. She waited anxiously for the rest.

"I can't see myself in a proper state of mind without you. That's why I'm going to help you. That's why I _always _help you. I'm not going to see my best friend go down without me."

Toph still didn't know what to say. She never realized she influenced someone's life so much. But all that he said was true for her. _She _was going to help him when she could. _She _was going to fall when he falls, fight when he fights, cry when he cries. They were so closely knit. A pair of extremely close friends. She honestly couldn't say such a strong statement for anyone else. They were her friends, but not like Aang.

"Thanks," was all she could choke out.

"You tired?"

Toph tried to find her voice. "A little."

"Me too," he said stretching his arms. "But I might just stay in here a little longer. I got a lot to think about."

Toph stood up and put her plate on the counter. "Well, I'm gonna head back. It's amazing how a week of sleep wipes you out, huh?"

Aang chuckled, but only slightly. He was really bent out of shape about this.

"Hey don't worry," Toph assured him. "There's nothing the six of us can't do. We're gonna be fine." Toph smiled a little. She felt Aang loosen up a little bit.

"Thanks for the food. And don't worry. Nothing bad is gonna happen."

"I hope not. Good night, Toph"

"G'night."

Toph made her way out of the kitchen and through the large dining room back toward the long hallways she just came from. She tried to remember the path they took while she was so distracted. Koh kept wavering in and out of her mind. She thought about the weird power that he thought she had –well she probably did have it. Glowing eyes aren't exactly normal. But she only thought about that for a few seconds. Her thoughts kept circling around Aang. What he said, and the fact that she knew he meant it. She never knew the monk had _that_ much compassion for one person. It was pretty touching. Nobody cared that much at all before.

By the time Toph reached her room, she was smiling to herself. She never liked being protected, but maybe now it wasn't so bad.

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**I listened to Claire De Lune by Debussy the whole time I was writing this. I'm a sucker for romantic music. Stay tuned for a new chapter!**


	8. Bottled Up Feelings

**Chapter 8**

"_Did you know that I'm rather fond of powerful people? It's true, my dear. They have such potential. Very interesting company, too. I can't seem to understand you stubbornness. I won't hurt you. I just want a closer look at your beautiful face._

"_Oh, come now. Don't be like that. Why would I hurt something so wonderful? I mean, the power emanating from you is amazing…_

"_Well fine. If you choose to be difficult, I have no choice. Moving will only make it hurt more, be warned…"_

"_Get away from me! Stop it! GET AWAY!"_

Toph shot up in her bed. A thin sheet of sweat covered her body as she rubbed her face and tried to orient herself. It was the same dream again. She was afraid that this was going to become a nightly habit. After all, dreaming about something that wants to kidnap you –maybe even kill you –is never a good thing. The dreams seemed to get worse. They dragged on for much longer than the first and the voice was so loud she could still hear it ringing in her ears. She plopped herself back down on her pillow. She wondered if Aang was awake right now. He'd probably be the one to break the news to everybody. For all she knew, everyone probably already knew that whole story and it would be a mad house when she went downstairs. She honestly felt like staying in her room, but it wasn't exactly safe if he could get to her here.

Toph swung her feet off of the edge f the bed and mechanically dressed herself and made it out of her room. She wondered where everybody could be. She didn't know this palace and for all she knew, it could take days to get from one side to the other. She twisted down the only route she knew: the one that led to the dining room. Considering that it was morning, everybody would probably be down for breakfast already. She really didn't want to walk in. She would get trampled by Katara's hugs, worries, nagging, and a bunch of her other habits that Toph didn't feel like dealing with right now. _It's amazing how little people change_, she thought, laughing to herself.

A large room that echoed large vibrations veered into Toph's sight. She stopped and tried to listen for voices. When she was sure people were inside, she braced herself, and slowly opened the door. There was a low murmur of voices flowing through the room, but they abruptly stopped when Toph started walking to the long table in the middle of the room. Then a pair of feet jumped and started towards her. She sighed and expected the worse.

"Toph! Aang was right, you're awake. Are you okay? Do you need to sit down? Do you need food? Sokka! Go get a plate for her. Because I said so. Sokka, now! You need to be more careful Toph. You can't just throw yourself into danger like that. It's so reckless. You need to be more responsible. Remember…"

Toph zoned out and wondered if Katara ever needed to breathe when she talked like this. She hadn't stopped for air since she started talking. Maybe it was a water tribe thing. Long exposure to cold temperatures must make women over protective and annoying. Toph sure had enough evidence to prove it. That only piled on more to the endless list on why Toph swore she would never go to the South Pole as long as she was alive and kicking.

"…alright, Toph?"

Toph shook her head a little. "I'm sorry, were you saying something?"

She smirked when she heard laughter in front of her. Katara turned on her heel with a small "humph" and decided to bother Sokka about the food that was taking entirely too long to go get.

"Well, you seem to be fine to me," she heard Suki say next to her. "Hey, Zuko. You should go calm your girlfriend down. She's taking it out on Sokka again."

"Hey, the best thing to do around _that_ is to let her calm down on her own. Even though bothering some people is a hundred times worse," Zuko said, nudging Toph a little, "I like to keep my body parts intact."

"Geez, Sparky. Who knew you'd be the type to be intimidated by your girlfriend," she said earning a giggle from Suki.

"Haha. Funny. Anyway, it's a good thing you woke up. Someone wants to meet you. You still want food?"

Katara and Sokka were fighting over the food that was meant for Toph. Sokka was insisting that she get a large pile of food. She had to be hungry from being asleep so long. Then Katara was yelling back that she wasn't a giant garbage disposal like Sokka was and she needed normal portions of food. Then Sokka mumbled something which earned a water whip from Katara, more yelling, and then a "You're so freakin' annoying" from Sokka. Sibling rivalry was so predictable.

"Nah, I'm good with just some dumplings. Let the duo sort out their own problems."

So Zuko, Suki, and Toph snuck out with a napkin full of food and left the water tribe siblings sort out their problems the only way they knew how. It was funny for the first few times, then it got a bit annoying, then it got to the point where Toph had to use force just to shut them up. Obviously, they didn't get the concept.

"Where's Aang?" Toph asked suddenly starting to bite into her breakfast.

"Uh…better for you to find out later then for us to tell you. Besides, you've got to worry about yourself, what with that spirit following you," Suki said.

"Wait you know about that?" Toph questioned.

"Yeah. Aang sort of got us together and told us practically everything. We knew about the eye thing while you were still out, but we only just found out about Koh following you until this morning. We've been waiting for you so we could take you to King Bumi," Zuko said.

"Why? What's he got to do with this?"

"Aang's got himself somewhere in the palace so he could think. He only told Bumi where he was because he wanted no distractions. Plus, Aang wanted to talk to you after you woke up. So, Bumi's going to have to take you to him."

"So he just locked himself up somewhere? That doesn't sound like him at all."

"Tell me about it," Suki said. "I've never seen the poor kid so stressed out. He always been by himself lately. He hasn't once dropped the subject. He thinks it's better if we stay here for a few weeks. Just so that you can stay safe. Heck, I don't blame him. I'd stay hidden too."

"I don't get it. Why did it have to me? What's so special about me that I had to have the one thing he's after?"

"That's what Aang's trying to figure out," Suki answered. "I mean, it could've been one of us. It could've been someone in that town we saw. But it wasn't. It was you. That's the part that seems to bothering all of us."

Toph all of a sudden didn't like the feeling of being special now.

"Hey, don't get bent out of shape about this. We'll figure something out," Zuko assured her.

They walked into an even larger room, bigger than the dining room. There were similar pillars and carpets in the room, though there were a lot more of them here. She felt a person with heavy regal robes walk towards her. There was a very strange crown on their head. There were large horns coming out if it. Or maybe they were feathers. She couldn't tell. The person already seemed a little weird.

"So, this must be the almighty Toph Bei Fong. Pleasure to meet you," King Bumi said as he shook her hand and let out the weirdest laugh she had ever heard in her life. He kept snorting non-stop when he laughed. Definitely not king material, that was for sure. To think that Aang was friends with this guy.

"Nice to meet you," she said reluctantly.

"I hear you're a metal bender. You'd have to show me that sometime. Must be some sight," he said, laughing afterwards again. This guy was making her pretty uncomfortable.

"Anywho, Aang needs to see you. We should start going."

Suki and Zuko walked back the way they came as Bumi started taking Toph behind a curtain at the back of the room and down a narrow hallway. It seemed to twist into a labyrinth of doors, hallways, turns, and passages. There seemed to be too many of these lately, Toph realized. She kept her head hung while they walked, not really wanting to talk about the problem at hand right now.

"I would be scared," Bumi blurted out after a long silence.

Toph raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I said I would be scared. Being pursued by someone like The Face Stealer would make me shake in my boots. You're a mighty brave young girl, I must admit."

"Well, I am scared sometimes, but not like most people would be. It never lingers for very long. I don't see the point anyway. Showing that you're scared doesn't solve anything. In fact, it just makes everything worse. Keeping cool is just easier."

"But you said you were scared sometimes. When are those sometimes?"

"I guess it's when I hear him. I dream about him, you know. And even though I don't want to, I can't help but feel so helpless when I know he's close by. It's pathetic."

Bumi chuckled. "You remind me of my wife. She used to view things the same way. Always saying that emotions just complicated things. It was better to just keep a stone face and bear what came you're way. But I thought differently."

Toph tried not to laugh at the fact that this loon actually had a wife.

They made their way to a large door that was similar to the ones all over the palace. Bumi took out a small key and opened the door. It led to another hallway which was similar in its size and design, though the doors were in the wrong places. They were probably on the other side of the palace.

"So are you the type that goes overboard with emotions all the time," she asked.

"Of course not. That's a little over the top. But then again you shouldn't pretend like nothing is going to happen. I'm sure you're scared. But you don't let people know. How do you expect help when nobody knows that you need it?"

Toph snorted. "I don't need help or protection. I'm doing just fine on my own."

"It's funny. That isn't what the avatar said."

"What do you mean?"

"That you seemed pretty okay with the fact that Aang was so protective over you. You don't seem to mind help when it comes from him."

Toph mentally cursed herself. For a really strange and badly dressed Earth King, he sure picked up on a lot of things. She blushed a little. She really hadn't thought about that until now. It was true. She hadn't realized it before, but it didn't bother or offend her when Aang said what he said last night. If anything, she rather appreciated it. She only showed herself to him. Between everything that was bothering her lately, she only told Aang about it. Maybe it was because she knew he would sympathize with her. Maybe that was want she always wanted from him. But why? Why him? They were just friends. They didn't have anything serious. But this was different. She wouldn't tell any of this to anyone. Why was he so special to her that she confided only in him? He was her first and only friend, but somehow, in some weird way, he felt like so much more than that.

"We're almost there. Just a few more hallways."

Bumi stopped in front of another door and looked toward Toph.

"I apologize if I put you on the spot with all of that talking I was doing. I must've made you feel uncomfortable," Bumi started.

"Don't worry. As weird as it seems, you actually helped me realize something. You're not too bad, you know that?"

"Well, I'm flattered. Come to think of it, it'd be nice to see what the avatar's earth bending master has up her sleeve. I've heard a lot about you. Maybe sometime after all of this has cleared, I can see what you're made of."

Toph smiled at that. "You're on. But just so you know, I don't go easy on royalty. You'll be down and out before you even know it."

"We'll see," Bumi said, laughing is strange laugh again. "I should be on my way. He did say he wanted to talk to you alone. I wish you the best of luck."

As Bumi started to walk away, Toph had the impulse to ask him something. "Bumi?"

He turned around. "Yes, Miss Bei Fong?"

"About your wife," she started. "Did she open up to you?"

Though Toph couldn't see it, Bumi still smiled. "Yes, she did. In fact, I was the only person she'd ever reveal herself like that to. Relationships like that are beautiful things." And with that he walked away.

Toph wasn't sure why or how, but at that moment, she had no idea what she thought about the person just beyond the door she was in front of. She was confused and didn't know what to think. Then a strange feeling flowed through her body. She remembered it well. It was the same feeling she used to feel when she knew Sokka was close by. But she wasn't sure why she was feeling it now.

* * *

**Whew, it's about time.**

**I don't know if Bumi had a wife, but I thought it'd be cute to mention the fact that he did. Besides, everybody needs love in their life right? Oh and I don't know what those things on his head are. Apparently, neither does Toph.**

**Thanks for all your reviews. I got a lot last time. It made me feel special :-)**


	9. Ancient Legends

**Chapter 9**

Toph slowly opened the door that she was left in front of. She had never seen Aang isolated like this before except for when they were still kids. Right before he defeated the Fire Lord, he would always skip dinner to think and meditate about who knows what. He only did it while he was stressed. Of course anybody would be stressed out if you had to fight the most powerful man in the world and there was a chance that you wouldn't come back. But she still didn't understand why Aang was so stressed out about her. The monk was getting so confusing it was getting annoying.

She had no idea what the room looked like. It was small, and that was all she could tell. There was some furniture here and there, but nothing fancy. Come to think of it, she could barely feel Aang. There were very light vibrations in one corner of the room. There was breathing, but only very slight breathing. She walked over to him and sat down in front of him. He wasn't moving very much. She could only pick up on the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. She poked him on the shoulder and brought her face close to his.

"Aang?"

He didn't answer. In fact, it was as if he didn't hear her. She wondered if he was asleep. But he wouldn't do it sitting so straight and his breathing was far too slow for him to be sleeping. She shook his shoulder, but he wouldn't budge. She tried shaking harder, but he still wouldn't move.

"Twinkle Toes? C'mon, what did you want?"

No answer. She blew her bangs out of her eyes in frustration. She moved back from him and flicked him on the forehead a few times, but of course that didn't do anything. Then she stood up and placed her foot lightly on his chest. Then she gave Aang a little push with her foot. He stumbled back a little, but his body naturally found its center and he slowly rocked back into his sitting position. _Alright, now this is getting a little over-played. _

"Twinkles, are you even paying attention?" No answer.

Toph sucked her teeth and stood back a little bit. She brought her hand into a fist. Then she brought her hand in front of her face and unclenched it with a quick snap of her fingers. The floor underneath Aang shifted and caused him to reel back into the wall behind him. She heard him yell out in pain for a few seconds and she couldn't help but smile just a little bit.

"Well, it's good to see that you're alert now," Toph said as she walked over to him.

"Ow. You know that was my head right?" he complained.

"Well, I don't like being ignored. What was the cold shoulder for?" she said a little angry.

"It wasn't the cold shoulder. It's hard to pay attention to you when I'm in the Spirit World."

"Oh." _Oops_.

"Well, what were you doing in the Spirit World? I thought you wanted to talk to me."

Aang pulled her towards the couch that was in another corner of the room and sat her down. It almost felt like a really frustrated parent was sitting their child down for one of those long talks. He let out a sigh and put his face in his hands. He stood quiet like he was avoiding the conversation.

"Look, if you don't want to tell me that's cool…"

"No. No, I'm just exhausted. I've been up all night trying to find some answers. I'm just as lost as you are. I have no idea what's going on. I ran into Roku and asked him if he could explain everything to me. But he wouldn't do it unless you were here. You needed your rest so I was trying to look more into why Koh was looking for you by talking to the other spirits, but they didn't know anything. Roku was my only option. So I asked Bumi to bring you here once you were awake so we could both get some answers."

"But wait. Why does Roku know all of this? If the avatar and Koh are on bad terms, you'd figure Koh would keep it secret."

"Apparently, this is avatar stuff."

Now Toph was confused. "How do you know that?"

"Remember when we were in the woods just outside of that deserted town the other day? He was going on and on before he attacked us. But he said that I was one of the people that should know what was going on the most."

"Oh yeah. Wait, wait, hold on a second. So are you saying that I'm somehow tied in with avatar business?" she asked quickly.

"Basically."

She threw her arms into the air. "Well this is just perfect. Do you even realize the totally wacked out crap you go through every day? Now _I'm_ a part of it? Next you're going to tell me that I have to hide under a rock for the rest of my life."

Aang scratched his head. "Well, not the rest of your life. Just for a really long time."

Toph punched Aang in the arm. "You are not helping," she screamed at him.

"Ow. Well, that's all I can think of. Until we can figure out how to defeat Koh, you have to stay low for a while. I mean unless you like the idea of a psychopathic maniac chasing you 24/7."

"And I'm guessing Azula, Zuko, Combustion Man…"

"You know they are not the same thing," Aang said pointing a finger in her face.

"What's the difference?" She was yelling now. "Look, I fail to see what the big deal is. I've been terrified for the past few days, but for what? If we could take down the Fire Nation, why can't we do this? I feel like an idiot stressing myself out about this and you should too. Why does this thing intimidate you so much?"

"Because he can kill you without even trying!"

Toph didn't have a witty comeback, or a sarcastic comment, or even a response. Toph stood quiet and so did he. She'd never seen him this angry before. Sure they've been mad at each other before, but he really yelled at her. She couldn't even say anything back.

"I'm sorry," Aang said in a soft voice. "It's just this is different from the Fire Nation. If you died under their blow, at least you went down fighting. But this isn't the same thing, Toph. Crack a smile and you're gone! You won't even know what hit you. We're not talking about people anymore. This is a spirit. Koh has more power than you know. He's one of the oldest ones out there. You can't just walk up and expect to win without even breaking a sweat. You can't kill him. None of the avatars could."

She never thought of that. Aang made taking out the Fire Lord look like a walk in the park. She could imagine what his past lives were capable of. And they couldn't take out a spirit. Who was she kidding? After a few nights of mixed feelings, she finally came up with a conclusion: they were all in monumental trouble.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

Aang looked up for a second. "What?"

"You said that Roku was going to help us. So, let's go. I've been waiting for this for a while."

"We're not going to the Spirit World. The last thing I need is for Koh to sneak up on us when we can't bend. Roku's gonna have to come here."

"But I thought that you had to go into the Spirit World to talk to your past lives?"

"Nope. I learned that my past lives are all with me all the time. I don't have to go into the Spirit World to talk to them."

"So why were you there just now?"

"'Cause it's fun."

"You are hopeless."

Aang slipped down from the couch and sat crossed legged while she sat down next to him. Then something weird happened. Somehow, she felt someone in front of her. But it wasn't a person. She would've felt them there. But she didn't feel anything. She sensed that someone was in front of the two of them, though she didn't know how. All of this spirit stuff was rubbing off on her.

"Aang. It's good to see you. And I'm guessing this is your friend," the person said.

"Yes. Avatar Roku, this is my earth bending master and my best friend, Toph Bei Fong."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Bei Fong."

"Okay, sorry to be rude, but I'm not in the mood for simple conversation. A spirit is trying to kill me and I don't know why. So start talking."

Roku smiled. "I see what you meant when you said she was blunt and persistent."

Aang chuckled. Toph pushed him and he fell to the side. "I'm glad this is amusing. You know, I'd very much like to know how having a spirit kill you for no reason is funny."

"Oh, there is a reason," Roku said as his voice got serious.

"Well what is it?" Aang asked.

"I'll have to start from the beginning. Thousands of centuries back, Koh was nothing special. He was just a spirit that no one knew anything about. He would come to the physical world and poke fun at mortals, but that was all he was good for. You could even say he looked human. But after some time, he became jealous. He saw the great powers of the all of the other spirits, especially the Moon and the Ocean. He tried to find a way to get power.

"So on his daily visits to the physical world, he put a rumor to the test."

"What rumor?" Toph asked.

"Apparently, if a spirit were to take the life of a mortal, he would gain inexplicable power. Though he failed to realize that this was meant if the mortal had a dark soul. No one knew what would happen if you killed an innocent. Koh managed to corner an innocent human and take his life. His body took the form of a centipede-like creature and he gained the ability to steal the face of a mortal, hence his nick name. Some legends claim that the way he killed that mortal manifested into the power he gained."

"So, he was able to steal faces probably because he ripped off the mortal's face?" Aang asked.

"That's one way to look at it."

Toph and Aang shuddered at the same time.

"After that experience, he went on a rampage. He managed to find a way to go into the physical world and started stealing the faces of other people in order to gain more power. But normal humans didn't boost his power at all. He had to find a special type of human. The avatar was out of the question at the time. He didn't dare go that far. But there was another mortal who had similar power to the avatar."

"Who?" they both asked.

"The avatar's lover."

"What?" Toph asked.

"The avatar is reincarnated century after century. Everyone knows that. But what seems to have been buried in secrecy is that the avatar's true love is also reincarnated. They also happen to have extraordinary powers. If you haven't noticed, all of the avatars have fallen in love with bending prodigies. My wife happens to be quite the fire bender. She was simply amazing. One of the reasons why she interested me so much. If you recall, Avatar Kuruk was in love with a water tribe girl, Ummi. She was a water bending master. She taught children at the Southern Water Tribes. And look at you, my dear. I have never seen such artistry in earth bending for as long as I've been around."

"Hold on a second," Toph said. "Aang and I are friends, but we're not ready to marry each other. How do you know it's even me?"

"You revealed your powers that day in the woods. The avatar's true love has the ability to release an extraordinary power, similar to the Avatar State. It presents the maiden with the power to unleash unnatural displays of bending, therefore helping subdue their enemies. Had it not been for that power, you two might not have made it out of there alive.

"Anyway, these maidens were kept a secret. The avatars before us didn't want their true loves to be in danger. Only the spirits were entrusted with this knowledge, which included Koh. Sadly, Ummi was one of the few unlucky girls who were given no mercy. She was abducted and Kuruk went into a blind rage and tried to have Koh killed. After that, Koh resented the avatar. It actually gives him all the more reason to come after you. I was able to keep my wife hidden from him. Had it not been easier to go for female targets, the avatar would be in just as much danger."

"But I thought Aang said that Ummi was taken because Kuruk was slacking off on his duties."

"That was a cover. All he wanted was her power. And now he's after yours."

Toph was suddenly even more scared then before. What kind of creature was this that was so heartless and so cold that he could kill just for the sake of gaining power?

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Well, you cannot go after him. That's the worst thing to do at this point in time. You have to gain control of your powers. Right now, all of your excess energy is flowing out of you and it is making it easier for Koh to track you. The only person I know that would help you is Avatar Kyoshi, since her specialty is earth bending. You have to learn how to get in touch with your past lives and how to control your abilities. But she is very stubborn. If I can convince her to teach you, you won't have to worry as much. But until then, you have to remain hidden. Don't draw attention to yourself, whatever you do."

"Whatever you say," Toph replied.

"Aang, I have kept you worrying for too long and I apologize. You should rest. Please be careful, young ones. Help is on the way. I promise you that."

"Thank you," Aang whispered.

"And Miss Bei Fong?"

"Yeah?"

"I know this is all strange for you, but please trust us. You are surrounded by people that love and care for you. I know Aang has told me that you are very able on your own. But please, don't do this on your own. You have help. Take advantage of it."

And with that he was gone. Toph couldn't sense him anymore. It felt like all of her troubles just got worse now that she knew what they were all up against. Aang had his head back, leaning on the edge of the couch.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Am I just a friend to you?"

"What?"

"You heard me," he said again. "Am I really just a friend?"

Toph turned herself to face him as best she could. "No. You're a lot more than a friend. I don't know what to call it, but you've done way more than anyone else in this whole world would've done. You're the only one I can trust with my life. And I'm proud to say it. I don't know what you are, but you're not _just_ a friend. You're way more than that."

"Thanks."

Aang pulled his knees up and put his head down. He was exhausted, she could tell. She stayed there and let Aang rest. He sure needed it. After a few minutes she felt his head on her lap. After a few more minutes, his light snoring started.

She looked down at him and sighed. She didn't lie to him, but she didn't really tell him the truth. He was more than a friend and she didn't know what to call him. But there was something she felt about him that was too serious to even be a close friendship. Her stomach was stirring, and her heart was pounding in her chest. _What was this? What is he to me?_ The story Roku told the two of them was still flashing through her head. Especially the part where he hinted that she and Aang were in love in past lives. Could that happen between them eventually? Was this what she was feeling? Were these legends inevitable?

Was she falling in love with Aang?

* * *

**So there you have it. Chapter 9. **

**I just noticed that Toph just figured out her feelings on Valentine's Day. Totally unintentional. This has been done since Thursday, and I just happened to post it today. Weird. **

**Anywho, keep an eye out for the next chapter. And thank you for reviews, as always.**


	10. Getting Closer

**Chapter 10**

"_Does…does he know…"_

"_I don't believe he does. He wasn't told of the women's relationship with the past avatars. He went on a wild rampage looking anywhere for that maiden. The fact that Ummi was in love with Kuruk was just coincidence as far as he was concerned. Koh is not one to act rationally."_

"_But still. After Toph learns her powers, what'll we do then?"_

"_It's hard to say. A spirit can only be destroyed in the physical world. But once Koh knows Miss Bei Fong has complete control of her powers, he won't be so foolish as to attack in the physical world. Although Miss Bei Fong will be able to defend herself in the Spirit World, Koh will have the upper hand just like the two of you have the upper hand in the physical world."_

"_Is that power so advanced that it can manifest itself even in the Spirit World?"_

"_Once it is mastered, yes. It truly is extraordinary."_

"_I just hope this will all be over soon."_

"_I imagine it will, Aang. I imagine it will."_

"_Thank you, Roku. I don't know what I'd do without you."_

"_The pleasure is mine."_

"_And has Kyoshi…?"_

"_That is another matter all on its own. When I gain her consent, I will send word to you. In the mean time, I think your friends should know about all of this. It is highly imperative to get all of the help you can get."_

"_I think that's a good idea. Thank you for everything."_

"_It's no trouble at all, young avatar."_

Aang kept his eyes closed even though he was awake. He felt Toph's hand on his cheek. She shifted every once in a while, so she must've been awake. He was so clueless right now. There was nothing he could do for her except to hide along with her. That's what anyone would do if they were being pursued by a homicidal, power-hungry, spirit. Maybe they would all get out of this. Maybe Koh will quit soon. Maybe this was all a dream. Maybe none of this was really happening. But no matter how hard he tried, Aang could find no comfort in maybes. There was a sinister world outside of this room. Danger was awaiting them all. But strangely enough, even though all of this was running through his mind, he felt content in the presence of his master. Her touch comforted him in a way that he never would have thought possible. The closeness between them was a weight lifted off of his shoulders.

But what was _she_ to _him_? He had asked her, but he didn't know himself. She meant so much to him. He would do anything to save her from this. He would do anything to save her from _anything_. But when did this all start? It was right at the moment when he met her. She hated her life at that city. She wanted to leave. She wanted freedom. He wanted to save her from confinement. And he did just that. The drive to protect her, even though she never needed it until now, was always there. The fascination he felt when he watched her was always there. And the enjoyment he felt when he fought alongside her was always there. He didn't know what to call it. It was so confusing for him, especially after hearing that they were matched from before they were even born. It made him wonder if Toph was confused also.

He heard her humming something to herself now, keeping her hand where it was lightly placed on his head before. It sounded familiar. She said it was the song her mother used to sing to her to help her sleep, and he had to say it helped him now. After what felt like a few more hours, Aang carefully and slowly cracked his eyes open. The room was still dark because all of the windows were covered. But he was able to see the dark sky outside and the stars that dotted them through a small opening in the curtains. He must have been asleep for a while. The others were probably wondering what in the world happened to them.

"We should go. It's getting late," he whispered.

He felt Toph's hand jump and she stopped humming. "I thought you were sleeping."

"I've slept enough, don't you think?" he said.

"No, you haven't. Look, forget everything else for now, will you? You're a mess."

"Small price to pay at this point."

He sat up from her lap and took her hand. He pulled her up from the floor and started to walk to the door. She snatched her hand away from his grip. "Wait," Toph said.

Aang turned around. "What?"

"What are we telling them?"

"Who's 'them'?"

"You know. Katara, Sokka, Zuko, and Suki. I mean we can't tell them everything."

"Why not?"

"Can you imagine what they'll say when we tell them about that whole avatar and his soul mate thing? They're definitely not going to get creeped out after hearing that," she said.

"Fine, then we won't tell them that. But don't you think they should know everything else?"

Toph crossed her arms and drummed her fingers against her elbows, giving him a look like she thought he was joking. "Whatever. But I'm not going to stand there when you tell them. I avoid awkward moments when I can."

"How is telling them all of this awkward?"

"Gee, Aang, let's think. I'm not really just a blind, rich, earthbender. I'm a crazy wack job that has weird bending powers that's reincarnated after every century. Oh, and the spirit that's after me? Yeah, he's had eyes on me for the past few hundred years, has succeeded in killing me more than once, and is probably going to find me any second. They'll start treating me like…"

"Like what? Like somebody who needs help?"

"No, that's not it…"

"Why don't you like getting help? You kind of need it now whether you like it or not. Why are acting so-"

"That's not what I meant," she yelled back at him. "You said it yourself, he could kill me without even trying. I know that, you know that, and pretty soon everyone will know that. And the fact that he was able to get to me before proves that he could easily do it again. He has had centuries of target practice. He's not going to miss that easily. And don't you say that's not true, because I know you were thinking it. Well, they're all going to think it too. And you know how they're going to treat me? Like I'm already half dead."

"How could you think that? We wouldn't give up on you like that. I don't think you're half dead. Why would they?"

"Because that's what everyone always thinks when they know someone's days are numbered," she whispered. "I mean, look at me. I'm finally terrified. Took long enough, right?"

Toph flung open the door and stomped outside. "Tell, them what you want. I don't care anymore. But I'm not going to be there when you say it." And with that, she disappeared in the hallways of the palace, leaving Aang by himself. He opened the door and called down the hall for her, but of course, she was long gone. He hung his head and leaned against the frame of the door. There was no way of telling where she ran off to.

………………………………………………………………………………

Toph was never scared. She threw caution to the wind and it worked out to her advantage. She was never afraid to take anything head on, just as she told her student those many years ago. But, now she had met her match. There was no telling what was going to happen to her. For once, she had no idea what was coming next. She stopped in the middle of the hallway and shouted. _Listen to yourself_, she thought. _You're freaking yourself out and acting like a wimp. Like you're going to get taken down by anything._ Normally, Toph would've agreed with herself, but she knew when she was out of luck. She knew when the worst was coming. And right now, she felt it in her very being that things weren't going to turn out well. Though she didn't know how bad they were going to get.

Toph slid down to the floor and ripped off her space bracelet and started playing with it, turning it into different shapes while she thought. Roku said that Koh wouldn't find her as long as she stood in hiding, so that was a good sign. But why would she be dreaming about him if he wasn't close by? But this was an avatar. He's got to know if she's in danger, right? But Koh is thousands of years old. He could easily bypass the avatar. But Roku's a spirit, too. He should be able to sense Koh anywhere. But what if Koh knows how to hide, too?

She sat there arguing whether or not she take the previous avatar's word. She wasn't even sure that Roku knew the complete extent of Koh's powers despite what he already knew. She met people like this. They're good liars. They can keep the world's biggest secret and no one would ever know. So, technically they were right back where they started. Not knowing anything. She banged her head hard against the wall behind her and the ground shook.

"Ah, I thought a heard something," said a familiar voice.

Toph felt the Earth King walk up to her and sit down across from her. Great. Exactly what she needed. She didn't need to hear any weird and pointless babble from anyone. Especially not a crazy 112 year old Earth King.

"You act just like my gorilla goat. Always bashing stuff around. Must be related," he said ending in that annoying laugh.

"You're comparing me to a huge, smelly animal with a brain the size of my foot?"

"No, I'm comparing you to a lovable and very huggable pet with a heart the size of Ba Sing Se." He chuckled at the end. Toph clenched her fists.

"Whatever. Anyway I am not in the mood for jokes. It's not a good time either."

"Oh, it's always a good time to laugh. What's got you so glum?"

Might as well tell him a little. "Everything. Guess what I found out? That thing has been after m-…other people before and caught them just like that," she said snapping her fingers for effect. "These were powerful people. Bending prodigies no less. What the heck am I supposed to do against something like that? What am I supposed to do now?" He stood quiet for a while. He didn't know either, obviously.

"You should do…nothing! Haha." There he went again. Talking and laughing crazy. Toph felt like punching him right now.

Toph looked towards him highly confused. "What do you mean do nothing? Doing nothing isn't going to solve anything. Are you stupid or something?"

"Stupid, no. Logical, yes. Don't give me that look! Doing nothing has proved successful. I know. Gives you time to open your mind to the possibilities."

"Possibilities of what? Getting killed?"

"If that calms you down, then yes. You could do just that."

Toph raised an eyebrow to the king sitting next to her. Thank the spirits Aang's friend didn't rub off on him.

"Alrighty, then," Toph said standing up, completely creeped out. "Thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to keep that in mind." She started running down the hall really quick trying to get away as soon as possible when he spoke up again.

"You know, thinking about what to do before would decrease the chance of you dying significantly."

"Don't you have to go feed Flopsie or something?"

"Oh dear Spirits, you're right!" he said jumping up from the floor. "But don't forget what I told you. I was serious. Don't do anything drastic. Just lay low." And he ran off in the other direction.

Easy for him to say. It wan't second nature for him to want to bust some heads every now and then.

Doing nothing. That was not something she wanted to do. What does dong nothing solve? Obviously, she had to do something because she couldn't hide for the rest of her life. Eventually she had to do something. What the heck was that idiot talking about? Sooner or later she had to come out and do something. Maybe not defeat this thing, but probably do something to slow him down. Well, she just hoped that Kyoshi avatar would agree to fixing up her powers. Not that she was looking forward to it. But she needed to not look totally helpless.

Then Toph heard a shuffling sound behind her. There was nothing there, but she heard it. The shuffling started getting closer. Toph kept shifting her feet trying to feel something, but nothing was there. But the noise kept getting louder. Almost like it was…dragging something? There were little clicks along with the shuffling. Like thousands of legs tapping the ground. Wait. Thousands of legs…he couldn't be…

"Hello, my dear," the voice said.

Toph bended a rock toward the giant centipede. Then she started running down the rest of the hall. The spirit was crashing into the walls and Toph heard the stones falling to the ground. But she didn't feel anything. But she heard it. It was there. It was as clear as day. He was behind her. She knew it. He kept laughing. Kept on following her. Toph slid on the floor and ran into a wall. But before she hit the wall, she slid it open and wound up in the hallway next to the one she was in. She started running again, but Koh was still breathing down her neck. She actually felt hot breath on her back and it made her shiver. She turned a sharp corner and heard Koh bump into another wall. The crumbling pieces kept falling.

There was a door looming ahead, but before she could reach for the handles, she felt Koh's legs wrap around hers. She fell to the ground and was clawing at the floor. She threw boulders at him to try to make him let her go. But he just held on harder. Toph screamed out loud and felt herself being pulled back. The rocks from the hallway kept crumbling. Then she felt arms pull her to her feet. The arms wrapped around her legs let go and nothing could be heard except her heavy breathing.

"Toph! Toph are you okay?" Aang asked.

"He's behind me he's there! Didn't you hear him?"

"Toph, all I heard was you screaming."

"What do you mean? Didn't you hear the walls falling apart?"

"Toph. There is nothing here except for me and you. Whatever you saw isn't here."

Toph felt around. He was there. She heard him. He was there. She knew it.

"Bumi was just with you. Nothing could've caught up that quick."

"But… he was…"

_He was there._

* * *

**Well Fanfiction shut down without warning. That was a bit weird. But all hope is not lost. Another filler, because I've got finals and won't be writing for quite a bit. So bear with me. **

**Thanks for the reviews, as always. **


	11. Running Out of Time

**Well I certainly have been sidetracked for a while. Sorry for the long wait. Between school, family issues, and traveling, I haven't had time to breathe let alone write. But I hope I won't keep you all waiting for too long next time. **

**Thanks to all of my reviewers and also to those few without accounts who might be reading also.**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

"Come on, calm down, there's no one here," Aang kept reassuring her.

Toph managed to collect herself and stand on her feet. He was right. There was never anything there. The hallways were completely barren save for the two of them. But the sounds were so convincing. And she _felt_ him grab her. She doubted that it was just a crazy delusion of hers. She wasn't one to hallucinate, but this felt all too real.

"Hey, are you okay?" Aang asked seeming concerned. He reached out for her hand but she quickly yanked it away.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about it."

Footsteps started echoing off the walls of the hallway. Sokka veered into view first with his replacement sword at the ready. Then the rest came close behind, their respective weapons out, prepared for a fight.

"What's…going on...who…screamed?" Sokka spilled out in a jumbled mess of breaths in between.

"Nothing's going on. I just…thought I saw something," Toph replied.

"What did you see? You're not one to scream like that without a reason," Katara asked concerned.

What was she supposed to tell them? She refused to be the subject of the conversation involving what mental institution to put her in. They didn't need to know all of the picky details about her worries. And she didn't want to tell them. There was no need to pile on extra drama for everyone. It was bad enough Aang already found out. She didn't need anyone else to fret over her.

Before she could do anything, Aang had already blurted it out. "She thought Koh was attacking her but nothing's here."

She punched him in the gut and felt him bend over in pain. "Don't tell them," she hissed at him, even though it was entirely too late.

"What do you mean he tried to attack you? How could he do that if he wasn't even here?" Zuko asked.

"Never mind," she mumbled. "It's nothing."

She began to walk away when she felt a cold hand grab her by the wrist. Katara.

"Please, Toph? We just want to help."

Toph quickly snatched her hand away and walked the other way. She didn't want to talk about her crazy situation. Like she said before, she avoided awkward moments whenever she could.

"Toph, talk to us," Sokka called. She only kept walking away.

"Toph," Aang called to her. "If you don't tell us, it'll only make finding you easier for you-know-who."

She stopped in her tracks and clentched her fists.

Toph turned around and faced the group, staring down at nothing. "You want to know so bad? Fine. I heard him talking in my ear and I panicked. I started running, but I heard him following me, crashing into walls. Wherever I went, he was right behind me. He even grabbed me and started dragging me, but there were no vibrations. He was never there. But it felt like he was. "

Everyone stood quiet, mostly with confusion. No one was sure about what she said. Not that they didn't believe her, but that they couldn't wrap their minds around it. Either you were there or you weren't. There was no in between. It bothered Aang the most. What else was this spirit capable of? If he could make her believe that he was standing right next to her without really being there, then what else could he do?

"That sounds familiar," Suki mumbled after hours of silence.

Everyone looked at her. "What do you mean?" Sokka asked.

"I mean, I've heard this before. You know, Koh being there without being there. Stories got around fast about scary spirits on my island. This was in an old story we used to hear."

"I think I know what you're talking about," Zuko responded. "Little kids used to run around and do crazy stuff in the Fire Nation. Parents would always tell them 'Behave or Koh will get you.' That used to pipe them down in a second. He was a scare tactic everywhere. There are stories about him everywhere."

"What are you trying to say?" Toph pushed further.

"Well," Suki started, "there used to be an old story that the people on Kyoshi used to circulate a lot. Basically, it was about a little earth kingdom boy who was a terrible trouble maker. He would steal from stores, bother people on the street, stuff like that. I think he even went so far as to trap a few people in caves outside of the village he lived in with his earthbending."

"So he's your average village punk. So?" Toph asked.

"Apparently, one night, he saw a big centipede in his room with a white face and a weird smile. The boy freaked out at first, but every time he would show someone his room, nothing would be there. The centipede never used to do anything, so the boy would go about his business, being a pest to everyone in the town. About a week later, when he was walking home, the centipede appeared behind him and started chasing him through the streets. He ran through the village screaming for help, but no one saw anything. They thought he was kidding around, or playing one of his jokes. The boy started getting really scared but he didn't stop any of his stunts. Another week went by and his mother walked into his room and found him…well…you know. The adults used to tell us Koh went after bad little children. That got us training and working at high speed."

"Like Koh would waste his time on snot-nosed kids," Sokka snorted.

"It's a story. They used to say that to us so we would work harder. It's not real."

"Wait," Aang said. "Maybe it is true. Part of it anyway."

Toph crossed her arms in front of her. "What are you talking about, Twinkle Toes?"

"Hear me out for a second," he told her. "Take the little boy for example. Why did he keep seeing Koh?"

Katara shrugged. "Because Koh was going after him. He was being a bad boy, so Koh decided to punish him for it."

"Right," Aang said. "He kept getting closer to him until he finally got the boy. And as time went by…"

"The hallucinations became more real," Zuko finished.

"So wait," Toph interrupted. "You're saying that as he gets closer to finding me, I'm going to start seeing him even more…hallucinating even more?"

"More or less," Aang said. "At least that's what I think. I have no doubt that those stories were half-truths. Maybe his motives were made up, but I don't think his powers were altered at all."

"So great," Toph shouted. "He's getting closer and we're still sitting here playing cat and mouse. He's got us cornered and we've got nothing."

"Relax," Katara reassured her. "The story said nothing happened for another week. So we've still got time," she smiled.

"Great. My fate is at the hands of a stupid story," Toph muttered.

"It's all we've got right now," Zuko told her.

"What do you think we should do?" Suki asked.

Toph knew the answer to that. Wait until Kyoshi got her stubborn act together and decide to teach her some super-human bending. Though she wasn't looking forward to anyone teaching her, she had no choice in the matter. It's either learn the bending or suffer the wrath of a homicidal spirit. But the least an ex-avatar could do was be quick about decisions. Weren't avatars supposed to be good about making quick decisions? It was practically part of the job. What was taking her so long?

"I think we should get some rest," Aang said. "It's already late."

"That's the smartest thing anyone has said all day," Toph smiled.

"Wait. We can't just blow this whole thing off. We need a plan of attack," Sokka explained.

"I think the best thing to do is to let everyone rest. This is by far enough for one day," Zuko said, pinching his nose.

"But, what about formation plans? Look, I was thinking it through. We could have earth benders at the front for protection and then behind them, you and Katara could…"

Sokka followed Zuko as he walked away, explained the carefully formulated battle strategy he came up with. Katara and Suki rolled their eyes and walked to their respective rooms, wishing Aang and Toph a good night.

"Well, are you sure you're okay?" Aang asked Toph once they were alone.

"Yeah, I'll live," she told him.

"Well, good night. And don't worry. This is going to work out."

"I got it," she assured him.

As he walked away Toph shouted something at him.

"Thanks."

Aand turned around. "For what?"

"For finding me first of all. And for not telling them."

Aang scrunched his eyebrows. "How do you know I didn't tell them?"

"Sokka would've had a conniption if he knew. He would've been talking about crazy spirit powers and how cool they were for hours. So…thanks."

Aang smiled. "You're welcome."

He walked the long way all the way back to the other side of the palace while Toph decided to follow the others. He realized for the first time that Bumi told the others where he had been hiding out. He'd have to talk to him about it later. Though he knew that he would be able to find somewhere else to meditate. His thoughts deviated to the hopes that Roku was making a dent in convincing Kyoshi to offer her help. But it didn't last long before his thoughts wandered around Toph. He sincerely hoped he could get her out of this one. He wished it with all of his heart and soul. Still not understanding why exactly he cared so much for his best friend, he walked into his room and laid on his bed for a few hours trying to fall asleep. With all of the things running around in his head, he kept returning to Toph. And it continued like that until he finally found sleep and peace of mind.

* * *

"Absolutely not."

Roku sighed. It was something he wasn't looking forward to. Being a well brought up and wise gentleman, he was able to keep composure. However, he sincerely wanted to throw his upbringings out the window and knock some sense into the avatar in front of him. But he could only think it. If he was going to make any ground in his quest, he had to be smart in what he was saying. Though it took every fiber of his being, Roku calmly reasoned with the avatar.

"Kyoshi if you would please reassess the situation, I'm sure that we could come to some sort of an agreement."

"Roku, you and I both know that teaching this maiden how to master this power is strictly prohibited. I will not go against such a sacred contract, even for the sake of the current avatar.

He suppressed his rage even more. "I beg of you. I have yet to tell Avatar Aang about this but you and I both know what happens when Koh obtains one of these maidens."

Kyoshi towered over Roku succeeding in her attempt to appear strong and intimidating. Her famous Kyoshi make-up made her appear determined and set on her goals. He recalled that she was a powerful bender who was more than willing to help those who needed it. She always seemed to have a helpful disposition about her which made her one of the most successful of avatars. However, under that façade that seemed to welcome problems, she seemed unusually stubborn towards Roku now. Ever since her time as an avatar was up, she seemed to isolate herself and refuse to listen to the petty problems of other spirits. Though he fully understood that not all problems could be taken seriously, this was an urgent matter.

"I am fully aware of that contract Kyoshi, however…"

She held up one of her fans to stop his talking. "A few thousand years ago, a young maiden was given training for this power. She was exceptional. A true prodigy. However her carelessness caused her to lose control of it and it caused mass destruction. I'm sure you're aware of it. She was a fire bender after all."

"Yes, Kyoshi. I remember."

"The history books claimed she had gone mad. She all of a sudden attacked innocent people for no reason. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed along with the people inside of them. The contract between all of the avatars was agreed upon. In order to avoid all of this destruction from happening, the instruction of this advanced bending was to be banned. No exceptions."

"Kyoshi, I am fully aware of you're loyalty to such a sacred of contracts. But I must draw your attention to an even more serious matter. The last time a maiden was taken by The Face Stealer, he gained enough temporary power to cause even more destruction. Cities were destroyed as well. Millions of people were taken. I'm sorry, but I will not allow an innocent woman and thousands of innocent lives to put in jeopardy because of your decision. You are the only avatar that can teach her."

"I'm not the only earth bending avatar, Roku."

"But you are by far the most skilled. If I could teach her myself, I would. But it would prove to be difficult as we do not share the same bending powers. Have you seen this maiden at work? She is remarkable. She was born blind, do you realize? At a young age, she learned one of the most sacred martial arts through its original source, the badgermoles. She mastered it at such a young age, it truly is outstanding. Her grace with the element was acquired solely by her. She even recently learned to manipulate metal, something that has never before been attempted, let alone achieved. I find she will be an exceptional student and I doubt that she will be as careless as her past life. She did indeed teach the avatar earth bending if you recall."

Kyoshi kept her chin high. "Are you so certain that she will be successful in this feat? It is a great deal to learn and the teaching will be brutal, I'll make sure of that."

"I find that she will be able to handle it with ease, Kyoshi. I have the utmost confidence in her. This will not be a mistake I promise you."

Kyoshi's face went relaxed as she thought through the dilemma. Roku stood nervously but kept a stern face so as not to show one of the most intimidating avatars that he was ready to beg on his knees at this point. He waited for what seemed a very long time before she turned to him.

"I will think about, Roku." And with that she walked away.

As soon as he was sure she was out of ear shot, Roku groaned and rubbed his temples slowly. This was proving to be much more difficult than he imagined. Out in the distance, he saw the infamous lair of none other then the Face Stealer. His face grew worried as he saw the terror that seemed to emanate from his lair. Roku looked back at Kyoshi striding away and hoped that Kyoshi was seriously considering the matter. For he knew that there was little time before Koh would manage to reach his goal with no intent on showing mercy.


	12. Convinced

**Chapter 12**

Kyoshi sat in a meditative position in the most serene location in the Spirit World she could think of. It was an old valley that Spirits often had no interest in spending their time in. It was the perfect place for Kyoshi to think, and after the demands of Roku were brought to her attention, she felt she really needed to.

She never understood why spirits couldn't just remain dormant in the Spirit World where they belonged and leave the mortals alone until they were called upon. Spirits should leave the mortal world in peace until a mortal needed their insight. Other than that everyone should just mind their own business. The only reason the mortals seemed to be on the verge of killing each other was because of those few problematic spirits who feel the need to intervene. It was beyond stressful when the Avatars had to go and talk some sense into them. Of course, there was always one exception.

It wasn't that no one was allowed to go and confront him, it was simply the fact that nobody wanted to. Most were simply scared. One mention of the Face Stealer and the spirits would go running. And the other spirits who had the decency and the back bone to confront the spirit would always fail in the attempts to make him listen to reason. He would do whatever he pleased and would do whatever it was he needed to do in order to satisfy himself, and it annoyed Kyoshi to no end. Many reports of people who were attacked in Koh's brainless attempts to satisfy himself were mentioned to Kyoshi and the other Avatars, but the rebel spirit would never seem to stop at his attempts at attacking mortals, despite the Avatars' demnds. Now that she thought it through, Kyoshi never even knew why on Earth he found joy in seeking out the power from those unfortunate maidens. Everyone put it off that he was simply power hungry. Even Roku volunteered that information to her. But in her honest opinion, it didn't seem to make sense.

A spirit wouldn't ask for power just to have it. There has to be a reason why he was collecting it. Power meant nothing while you were in the spirit world. If anything, spirits were always stable and only mildly dangerous to each other. Of course if a mortal happened to run into an angry spirit in the Spirit world, that was a different story. Everyone knew who would win that fight. But other than that, spirits couldn't do much here to put that power to use. The only conclusion Kyoshi could come up with was that he needed the power to do something in the Mortal world. _But what could that possibly be?_ she thought. Koh wasn't evil. He wouldn't kill just for the sake of killing, even though nearly the whole world thought that. He has helped people in the past. He more than willingly gave help to the young Avatar Aang those many years ago when he came to seek it. If Koh were truly evil, he wouldn't have thought twice about refusing his services and simply killing him on the spot. So if all of this was true, she couldn't help but wonder about the spirit's motives.

The plan had to be big. Koh's murders were successful in giving him the unimaginable powers of several young women. If he gained enough, Koh could possibly use that power to change the entire outcome of the world. He could mold the world into his image of what was ideal to him and what was useful according to his standards. But was this what he wanted to do? And if it was, would it be a better or a worse place for the mortals? Kyoshi had no way of knowing and it was this that annoyed her the most.

"Excuse me, Avatar Kyoshi."

Kyoshi turned her head to meet the eyes of Avatar Roku. "Yes, what is it?"

"Forgive me for bringing attention to the matter again so soon, but I must stress the fact that we are running out of time. Koh is gaining more ground and I need to know if you are going to help Miss Bei Fong in her training," he stated.

_There he goes again_, she thought. "Avatar Roku, I fully respect you and your views, but I must say that you are slowly but surely becoming a thorn in my side."

Roku sighed. "I know, and I apologize. But we cannot allow these killings to continue. We have to stop this spirit by any means necessary and keep as many people safe as possible. This is the girl's only defense."

"I am aware, but even more people will be hurt if she happens to completely disregard my teachings and lose control of such a difficult form of bending. Watching her for the past few years, she is one to have no regard for anyone's opinions." Kyoshi moved her face closer. "And I do not take attitude like that kindly."

Roku rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I doubt she would take a matter this serious as a joke. Will you please—?"

"Enough," she replied.

Kyoshi got up and strode off. Roku never liked Kyoshi's stubbornness. It was a rather frustrating characteristic of hers. She wouldn't even stop to consider what good would come of teaching Toph advanced bending. In fact, there would be no real threat at all. He too had paid extremely close attention to the earth bending prodigy and found her to have extreme control over her element. It was clear through her training of the Avatar that she had completely mastered the art of waiting, listening, and looking for the right moment to strike. Why was it such a problem to teach her?

"If you don't help her the chances of her dying is high."

Kyoshi stopped for a moment, standing tall and proud as usual. She turned with a stone face and looked Roku straight in the eye. It was never possible to see what Kyoshi was thinking or feeling. The serious disposition she always carried around was well exhibited and her emotions were never used against her. It was one of her stronger qualities, he had to admit. But he was firm in what he said as well. He was not about to see another innocent person die.

"I am not about to let this girl die in the hands of a spirit who kills for the sake of killing," Roku stated.

Kyoshi shook her head. "Roku, I thought you would have seen it by now."

Roku was confused. "What do you mean?"

Kyoshi walked closer to him. "Do you remember the spirit that lived on the opposite side of this field?"

"Yes," Roku replied. "She disappeared a few hundred years ago, I heard. Ji Muo was her name?"

"Yes, Ji Muo. She didn't just disappear however. If you recall, there was large panic in the Mortal World during the time Ji Muo was alive. Little children would be playing on their own and all of a sudden would be snatched without a single trace. The spirits knew that Ji Muo was behind it all. She had recently mastered the art of manifesting herself into the Mortal World. But they had no idea of her motives. They assumed that she was simply taking joy in abducting the children. A child that was very close to one of the past Avatars was taken. The Avatar was greatly angered and did away with the spirit. Of course none of the other spirits stopped him for they thought that Ji Muo deserved it. However, all of the children were unharmed, completely untouched. As the Avatar asked the child he knew if he was okay, the boy told the Avatar that Ji Muo was never dangerous. She treated them kindly and only wished to make friends. Though she wasn't good about keeping them fed, she tried. It turned out that she had never had family or friends and took the children for company. She had no intentions of harming any of them."

"I think it's obvious that Koh is killing people, Kyoshi," Roku countered.

"Clearly I am aware of this. But you're missing the point I'm trying to make. Perhaps Koh isn't killing for the enjoyment. Perhaps there is something deeper towards what he is doing."

"So, evil actions, but a not-so-evil cause?" Roku reasoned.

"It's just an assumption, but that is what I think. I thought that you would like to know that maybe he is not as heartless as you might make him to be," she explained.

"So you're defending him?"

Kyoshi scowled. "Never. No matter what killing is never a positive thing. But at least it isn't for evil reasons. But as I told you, I'm only making a guess."

"Either way, we need to stop him from hurting anyone else. Good intentions or not he is still a threat. There has to be something I can tell you to consider the situation," Roku pleaded.

Kyoshi sighed. She had to admit she hadn't given extreme thought to the matter. She heard the words "special training" and immediately denied the offer. But training this girl was going to be problematic. She was not fond of people who didn't listen and did what they wanted. It was highly annoying and she didn't like dealing with it. But Roku was a very persistent person…

"Are you sure that she will be able to learn this without a word of defiance?" Kyoshi asked.

Roku grinned. "Oh, yes. I realize that she is not the easiest person to teach but I'm sure that she will hold her tongue if the situation is severe enough," he reassured. "However we do have a problem."

"And what might that be?" Kyoshi gritting her teeth.

"The Face Stealer is extremely close to finding Miss Bei Fong and I'm afraid he is only days away from tracking her. We need to find a way to safely train her without Koh finding her."

"If I were to go train this girl, and I'm most certainly am not saying that I am, there is a way that I could hide her from him."

"Explain," he stated.

"Benders give off a special type of energy. It is something that is easily recognizable by Spirits, as you already know. It can tell the capacity of a bender's power. If I must admit, she does have a rather high bending energy. Levels like that only belong to either the Avatar or his soul mate. This is how Koh is finding her. When he first encountered her, he familiarized himself with her energy by engaging her in a fight. The fact that she accidently unleashed her power was further proof for him. I can conceal her bending energy, but only for a maximum of three days."

"Three days!? That isn't nearly enough time for her to—"

"I know," she assured. "But if I were to train her, which I am not saying that I will, I believe that with all of the things you have told me about her and everything that I have observed, she does indeed have the potential to learn quickly. Whether her attitude will keep her from learning or not is yet to be seen."

"Three days," Roku repeated. "I have never known anyone to learn so quickly. It takes at least several months to at least a year to fully master it. Are you sure this is possible?"

Kyoshi looked across the old valley over at the Face Stealer's lair. She had encountered him once before. She stood in silence as he had shuffled through his vast collection when she had stupidly asked him to do so. She was curious when she was young and when she had sought out help from the spirit, curiosity had gotten the best of her. People of all different shapes and sizes were among the faces. Some were en that looked like warriors. Brave warriors and soldiers that thought they could battle a spirit. Some were women who looked so fragile that they had no chance against a spirit. There were some animals dotted around in his collection, but not at all that many. He had reached the point in his collection where he had the faces of children and teenagers. Some looked to be about four years old. Some younger. The oldest she saw was a boy who looked about sixteen. It had horrified her that he would take all of these faces of all of these people. There were a little over a hundred faces in his collection. She couldn't possibly know what he would need them for.

As he got farther, the children became less frequent. The last face he showed her was that of a beautiful water tribe girl with long, dark, flowing hair with a smile that would turn a thousand ships toward it. She didn't know whose face it was until years later, when Avatar Kuruk had told her. She remembered the hurt and defeat as he explained that he failed as an Avatar. She would never forget the conversation she had had with him. Kyoshi couldn't deny the strength and determination in Toph Bei Fong and seeing her face as a part of the collection was something Kyoshi had never thought she would ever see. And seeing such a care free soul such as Avatar Aang be broken just like Kuruk was depressing. As Roku's point began to reach her, she turned toward Roku and started him straight n the eye.

"Toph Bei Fong deserves a better fate than in the hands of a spirit. I can see her do great things alongside the Avatar. They've both already ended a hundred year old war and who's to say they can't do something more? Though it is against the contract to teach this bending, I suppose I can make an exception."

Roku was dumbfounded. "Th-thank you Kyoshi! I don't know what to say. I'm deeply appreciative of your offer."

"But keep this in mind," she emphasized. "After three days, her bending energy will be easily detectable, if not more so from her new training. Also, I will no longer to be able to teach her after three days. Koh will most certainly be on the girl's trail if he senses her training the power. What she learns in that time is all that I can offer. How much she is taught is entirely up to her. I won't teach her anymore after that time has elapsed. However, if there is the off-chance that she masters enough of the bending a bit before that, maybe she can seek advice from her past lives. I do believe you had mentioned that to them?"

"Yes," Roku acknowledged, nodding. "I can't thank you enough for taking this into consideration, Kyoshi."

Kyoshi held up her hand. "Please, enough with the thanks. I may be regretting this later. Though I cannot see Miss Bei Fong a victim of all of this, I know how she can be. She's going to be an even bigger annoyance than you are."


	13. Making Appearances

**A/N: I really owe you guys an apology. I mean, it's been over two months hasn't it? Sorry, but I had to sort out the complicated jumble of work that is my life. But, now that summer's here and school's over, I've got nothing to do. So, hopefully this won't take two months this time. But I'm getting a lot of reviews and alerts so I'm glad you all like it so far. I didn't expect this to be this popular. So thanks! By the way, if you see an gramatical errors, let me know so that I can fix them. Okay, public announcement over. On to the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Toph rapped her knuckles against Aang's door.

"The door's open," Aang called from his room.

Toph pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Hey Twinkles? I was wondering if I could…" she trailed off as she got a good look at the room.

The floor in front of her was covered in dozens of different sized scrolls that were unrolled and thrown all over the place. Toph kicked one to the side as she pushed the door open and tried to walk inside the room without stepping on anything. She trudged her way through the door while Aang was thrown on top of one of the arms chairs in his room, a scroll in hand along with several of them around the chair he was sitting in. The table next to him had a few scrolls along with two or three on his bed. The floor underneath Toph crunched as she tried to walk through the room and stepping on scrolls every time she put her foot down. It was still morning and he was already up to something. She shouldn't ask. She should just walk away and not ask. She stopped in front of him and crossed her arms while he absorbed himself in the scroll he was reading.

"This is a stupid question, but what in the world are you doing?" Toph asked him.

Aang peeked from behind what he was reading and smiled. "Oh. Hey Toph."

Toph knocked the pile of scrolls sitting on the armchair next to him and plopped in the chair with her feet up. Aang was still reading. "Where'd you get all of this?"

"Bumi gave them to me this morning," Aang replied without looking up. "It's some really long drama that was written by an earth kingdom poet a few years ago."

Toph rolled her eyes. "You are not reading that junk are you?"

"Why not?" Aang asked. "It's not that bad."

"My mom used to be obsessed with all of those scrolls. I used to walk into her room and it would look just like this. Earth Kingdom dramas are not good for you."

Aang shrugged. "Bumi said it would distract me."

"From what?"

"From worrying about our problems. If you think about it, we're kind of stuck. Roku told us that we couldn't do anything and our only option is waiting for Avatar Kyoshi to make up her mind. So until then, Bumi said I should just calm myself down."

_He's telling everyone that isn't he_, Toph thought, remembering that Bumi said she should think about how she would die if it gave her peace of mind. Crazy old loon.

"So you're reading some sappy story to calm yourself down?" she asked.

"It's not sappy," Aang said peeking from behind the scroll again. "It's about a boy and a girl that fell in love, but the boy got into an earth bending accident and lost his memory. Now he doesn't remember the girl he fell in love with, so she has to try and make him fall in love with her all over again. It's tragic if you think about it. I used to read stuff like this back at the Southern Air Temple."

"Right, I forgot who I was talking to," Toph muttered, but Aang was too absorbed into his reading to pay attention to her.

"How long is this thing?" she asked him.

"It's seventy-four scrolls long."

Toph's eyes widened. "How many have you read?"

"I'm on number twenty-seven."

"If you've been reading it since this morning it must be a real hit. I should read it sometime," Toph said smiling, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

Aang rolled his eyes. "What did you come here for anyway?"

Toph shrugged. "I'm bored. Things have been getting pretty dull around here. I mean who knew that hiding out could be so uneventful. It's practically melting my brain."

"So you came to _me_ because you were bored?" he asked.

"Believe me, you're the most interesting person in this whole palace right now," she told him.

Aang laughed. "Then I guess I should take that as a compliment."

"You should," Toph told him, crossing her legs underneath her. "Everyone's lost their minds. We're the only sane people left."

"What about Bumi?"

Toph gave him a strange look. "You're kidding right?"

"What?" Aang asked. "You've got admit, he says some pretty interesting things." He hadn't looked up from his story the entire time.

"Yeah, if you're a psychiatrist trying to 'help him,'" Toph said, air-quoting when appropriate.

Aang shook his head. "I think you're too hard on him. He is one of my best friends you know and despite what you might say he's really smart. Have you even had a real serious conversation with him?"

_Yeah, one too many,_ she thought. She tried not to think about the talk she and Bumi had when he was escorting her through the palace while Aang was near her. She didn't want to give anything away. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was intentionally playing an annoying match maker the entire time. And when he wasn't doing that, he was saying something that sounded nothing short of what comes out of a psychopath's mouth. She wondered what his wife must have been like. It was actually hard to imagine any woman dealing with that all day long. It was a mystery what the man would say next. But she shouldn't judge. Maybe his wife liked the surprise his random comments gave her. Maybe he made her laugh. But Toph got slightly creeped out whenever he said anything. Best to stay away from people like that in her opinion. _To each his own, I guess,_ she thought.

"Toph?"

"Huh?" she answered, snapping out of her thoughts.

"You were spacing out. You okay?"

"Fine," Toph said. "Let's just say that Bumi is out of the question for entertainment." She had her fill of his ludicrous rants for a while.

"Sokka?"

"He's raiding the kitchen with Momo."

"Suki?"

"She's trying to stop them."

"Katara?"

Toph rolled her eyes. "Flirting with Zuko of course. I'm telling you, the two have been inseparable ever since we got here. That's got me annoyed too."

Aang tensed. "You don't say," he said, his voice getting a little rigid. Toph had easily picked up on it. The thought of Zuko and Katara in love seemed to bother him. She shook her head. He was getting to be too predictable.

"I knew it," she told him.

"What?" he asked.

"You're jealous."

"I'm not jealous," he snapped as he set down the scroll he was reading and looked over at her.

_Self denial,_ she thought.

"Don't you think that by now I've gotten over Katara already? I told you already that Katara and I broke up a long time ago and I'm okay with it. If she really likes Zuko, than I'm happy for her. I'm not going to hold a grudge against him and I'm not going to go chasing after something that was never mine in the first place. Besides, what good will it do? I'll just be fighting for a lost cause anyway."

Toph sighed. "That was a nice speech, but I never said you were jealous of Zuko," she told him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, sounding confused.

Toph looked his way. "If you were jealous of Zuko, I don't think you'd be acting all cool around him like you are now. I didn't have to be around when this happened to know that you're the type of person who mopes around when things don't go your way. You make it obvious when you're upset and if you were directly jealous of Zuko, I would know about it. So it's obvious that's not the problem." Gosh, she was getting better at reading him every day.

"I meant that you're jealous of what they have. Not to rain on your parade or anything, but I'm almost positive that you've never been in a mutual relationship. At least not romantic anyway."

Aang scowled. But she continued on. He needed to hear it.

"You're desperate for something mutual. That's all I'm saying. And I can guess it's uncomfortable for you to see them together because they managed to gain something you've been working hard for a long time to get."

It was starting to scare Toph how much this conversation was applying to her as well, and she was pretty sure Aang knew that as well. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but it bothered her to no end that all of her friends seemed to have someone special to them. Even Bumi had someone he was proud to say he loved. She wondered what it would be like to have someone like you back. She was never the object of someone's desires. She wasn't Katara. She was the tomboyish, sarcastic, sidekick that everyone thought of as their little sister. She wasn't known for her looks, she was known for her fighting. She wasn't motherly, she was tough. People came to her for a good sparring match, not for comforting advice. And back at home, people came to her for her money, not because they were attracted to her in the slightest. She never let anyone know, but it hurt. What was wrong with her? It seemed like her personality prevented everybody around her from thinking of her as anything but a friend. But she wanted someone to show a slight interest in her as well. It was becoming harder and harder as time went on.

But, giving up was not what she was used to. It wasn't her style and she wasn't going to start changing that now. In fact, giving up on something like this should never be an option for anyone.

"We shouldn't stop trying though," she said a little quieter this time, including herself in the statement. "No one should ever stop trying."

"Who said I have?" Aang said.

Toph leaned forward against the arm of the chair. "Can I ask you something?" Aang asked her.

"Sure," she said.

"You know when you feel like you can't do something, and it's doomed to fail? But something always picks you up and tells you that you should try and not give up? That you shouldn't just sit down and do nothing."

Toph smiled. "Of course I do."

"What's that something that keeps you going?"

Toph thought for a moment. "Knowing the good that'll come after you succeed."

Aang leaned forward on the arm of his chair so that they were only about a foot away from each other. "That's funny."

"What's funny?"

"I always think the same thing," he said, smiling.

"You know why else I always talk to you?" she asked him.

"Why?"

"You always get me. Sometimes I think we're on the same wavelength of thought more often than not. Which is pretty crazy considering our arguments." They both laughed. "But I can't talk to anyone else anymore. It's like they're too absorbed into their own lives that we're slowly but surely breaking apart. Maybe the fact that we're both single is a good thing."

"But wouldn't it be nice to find someone to love you that gets you too?" he asked. They got a little closer.

"That'd be nice I guess," she answered.

"Then we're agreed. We'll keep looking no matter how lost the cause seems?" he asked.

Toph smiled. "You've got it, Twinkle Toes."

It wasn't clear what had happened next. Toph figured that they both let their walls crumble down and they just left their lonely hearts out in the open to be exposed. She didn't know what Aang was thinking, and to be honest she wasn't completely sure what she was thinking either. They were facing each other. They were so close that she could feel Aang's breath on her face. She had one of her feet dangling on the floor and she could tell his heart beat matched hers. It made her blush a little. If anything, it further proved the theory that perhaps they think and _feel_ the same way all the time. They were total opposites. She never expected the two of them to be so close. During their first earthbending lesson, she swore to herself that they probably would never meet eye to eye on anything for a while. He was just too in touch with his airbending personality to admit that she was right, and vice versa. But now, they were this close. And they had a silent understanding that nothing was over for either of them. They didn't have to open their mouths. They were thinking the same thing.

Toph gasped when she felt Aang's fingers on her brow. He felt his fingers brush away a piece of her hair behind her ear. He kept his hand there at the side of her face. It felt nice having it there, so she didn't say anything when he didn't pull it away. They got closer, but only by an inch. Both of their hearts were racing, but neither of them paid any attention to it. There was nothing breaking their concentration on each other. Nothing…

"Hey Aang! Look what I found—"

Sokka barged in with an armload of food and saw them. He saw them three inches away from each other staring at each other. The two slowly turned their heads to the commotion. They quickly jumped up and stood a good three feet away from each other, blushing madly. Sokka snickered.

"My bad!" he said. "I didn't know I was _interrupting_ anything. Do you guys need a minute?"

Toph stared angrily at Sokka. "Shut Up, Snoozles. Nothing is going on," she yelled at him.

"Yeah. That sure was nothing alright," he said smirking. He gave Aang a thumbs-up, holding all of his food in one arm. "Nice job, Aang. Who knew you had it in you?"

The heat in Aang's cheeks was starting to get unbearable. "Sokka, we weren't—"

"No need, my friend. Your face says it all," Sokka said laughing. "Hey Suki!"

Toph stepped forward. "Don't you dare," she said slowly.

Sokka ran out of the door, dropping all of his food to the floor. He ran outside to try and go find his girlfriend while Toph ran after him at full speed, trying desperately to tell him to keep quiet about the whole thing. Aang just stood in the middle of his very messy room too shocked for words.

...............................................................................

"Take it back!"

"Ah! Stop it Toph, you're breaking my arm!"

"Take. It. Back."

Toph had Sokka with his face in the wall and his arm bent painfully behind his back. She held down the side of his face as she tortured Sokka into not saying anything. Like hell she was going to have people know about something that didn't happen.

"Alright! Alright! I'll keep quiet! Now let me go."

Toph smirked and let Sokka drop to the floor, in pain of course.

"Geez," Sokka said stretching out his arm and getting up off of the floor. "Why are you so mad about this. So what? You guys kissed. It's not the end of the world."

"We never kissed, idiot," she yelled at him, getting even more upset. "Nothing happened, nothing was _going_ to happen, and that's that. This is exactly why you're not going to tell people anything."

"Whatever," Sokka said putting his hands up in surrender. "I'm just asking why you don't want anyone to know."

Toph got into his face. "Because it's none of their business. It's none of your business either. Hasn't anyone ever told you to knock?!"

Sokka shrugged. "I'm sorry alright? I won't say anything and I'll keep you to sort out your weird relationship problems."

Toph gave him a hard punch in the arm. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Just get out of here," she yelled at him.

Sokka turned away muttering something about earthbenders being even worse than moody waterbenders. Toph rolled her eyes. He had no business barging in and he knew it. She'd have to keep a close eye on him. One of the many things Sokka wasn't good was being inconspicuous. He might give it all away just by a random look he'd give the two of them. Yeah, that would do alright. No one was going to know about an event that she herself didn't quite understand. They'll know when they had to know and that would be that.

Toph sighed. The water tribe idiot had led her to who-knows-where. She tried to see if she could find Aang again. It was faint and far away, but she could feel him dead ahead. Just some really long hallways to go. Then they could sort out this whole mess. It was so confusing. What had they just done? What were they going to do? Toph shook her head. _Just stop thinking about it,_ she told herself. Somehow, half of her bun managed to get loose trying to chase Sokka. She started fiddling with her hair as she made her way back to Aang, not noticing that someone was watching her.

Toph felt a weird presence in front of her after she managed to fix her hair. She couldn't feel them through earthbending, but somehow she knew that someone was standing right in front of her. It wasn't charging at her, it didn't feel dangerous, and it wasn't whispering in a chilling voice, so she knew it couldn't have been Koh. She couldn't put her finger on it. Call it intuition, but a person was standing right in front of her.

She tried to just ignore the feeling as paranoia and kept walking, more curious to see what would happen if she walked past the presence than anything else. She happened to walk a few steps before she heard someone call back to her.

"Where on Earth do you think you're going?"

Toph froze and turned around with a really confused look on her face. She heard a voice right behind her. It sounded like a woman, but she wasn't sure. "Um, hello?"

"I realize that you can't see me but surely you're able to detect my presence."

Toph walked two steps forward toward the voice. It was definitely a woman speaking. She had a serious voice and she sounded older than Toph. Toph walked closer still and spoke up again. "Yeah, well I would gladly stop if I knew who I was talking to," she said.

"Very well then, Miss Bei Fong. My name is Avatar Kyoshi. I have come here to help you."

Toph widened her eyes. She thought she had heard wrong. Did Kyoshi really just show up after all of this time? She was ecstatic for a moment. She was finally going to get the help she needed. It was here standing in front of her totally willing. Then she remembered how long it had taken Kyoshi to decide whether or not she wanted to help save someone's life. Then Toph got a little angry.

"You're serious?" Toph asked incredulously.

"Yes. Now please listen for we have little time to—"

"Wait, hold on a second," Toph said. "Why did it take so long for you to come? We've all been waiting for days. I thought you _liked_ to help people. Why all of the hesitation."

Kyoshi tightened her lips. "Don't assume that because I didn't automatically jump to help you means that I don't enjoy helping others. There were simply other matters that needed to be taken into account before I could help you. For starters, your safety. Besides, I don't have to be here."

It was a shame she couldn't pick up any vibrations from the past Avatar. She probably could've picked her out in a lie about how she really hated to help. But she would never know. "So what are you saying? Is your helping me really that dangerous?"

"Let's just say that teaching you how to control your powers is a very controversial task. If we were to look at this technically, I am breaking serious rules coming here to assist you."

Toph looked down to the floor. "Is that so?"

"But never mind that. We haven't the time for idle talk at the moment. We need to prepare you as quickly as possible. Do you know where the Avatar is? He should be present. I've been meaning to speak with him as well."

"He's just down the hall there, calm down," she told her. "I don't see why we have to be so urgent about it. I still don't' know what's going on let alone what you're even going to teach me. I don't know what anything you're here for involves. So start talking."

Kyoshi sighed. "I will gladly tell you everything you need to know once the Avatar is present. I haven't the time or the patience to deal with your constant questioning."

Toph narrowed her eyes. Suddenly she wasn't so eager for help from this woman. For a fellow earthbender she was pretty infuriating. "Well, why the rush? I mean you're acting as if this has to be done in record time. Don't we have time?"

Kyoshi's tone got a bit quieter. "In actuality, we don't. There's a reason why me must hurry and why every second counts. Your talking isn't helping the matter. I understand you're curious and probably very confused, but you're just going to have to contain that and listen to me. Once we have Avatar Aang present we can start planning out how I'm going to help you. The training you have to prepare for requires a lot of effort and diligence and we need as much time as possible from the little that we have."

"How much time are we talking about here?" Toph asked a little worried.

"Three days."

* * *

**A/N 2: Can I ask you all for a huge favor? There's a poll on my profile. I'd really appreciate it maybe a few can stop by and vote quickly. People have been asking me to continue my one-shots and I need to pick which one. I probably won't write it right away, but I least I know what everyone wants. Thanks in advance. **

**Please review!**


	14. Sifu Kyoshi

**A/N: Update! Yay! 23 more reviews and I'll have 100. I never thought that would even happen. Maybe I should give out a prize??? I dunno. We'll see. **

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Aang trudged through the palace trying to see if he could find Toph and Sokka. He couldn't hear Toph yelling so they must have covered a lot of ground. He figured as much. Toph seemed really upset and Sokka wasn't dumb enough to give into her that easily. It would probably take a while to find them. But he kept questioning whether he actually wanted to find them. He really didn't want to talk to either one of them. He was embarrassed to say the least. He never knew absolutely until now that Sokka had the world's worst timing. And he wasn't sure if he trusted Sokka to keep something like this a secret from everyone else for too long. But then again, Toph was very persuasive.

_Toph._

He didn't even know what happened. One minute they were talking and the next minute they were inches away from each other. It was unintentional and he never planned on it, but he couldn't deny the fact that he felt right about it. To him, it was a pretty natural feeling, being that close to her. It wasn't awkward or nerve-racking like it had been with Katara. It felt like second nature and for a second…he _wanted _to kiss her. And he had a feeling that she wanted to, too, because she wasn't about to protest. What would have happened had Sokka not barged in on them just now? All of his thoughts were getting more and more confusing as his time around the earthbender grew and he knew that he couldn't deny that.

The curtains of the windows in the hallways were drawn letting sunlight flood into all of the rooms so Aang guessed that the morning was finally starting. Several servants would walk by carrying plates of food, laundry, clothes (they were oddly designed so he guessed they were Bumi's), and rags in case they needed to do a few good rounds of dusting. As he rounded another corner, he still couldn't find Toph. He knew it wasn't safe to leave her alone. For all he knew that spirit could come and try to mess with her again. He didn't need her freaking out because she thought she felt something that wasn't there. She was really shaken up the first time. He didn't need her to deal with that again.

The hallways got quiet suddenly and no one was around except for himself. He was probably near the off limits side of the castle where Aang had first asked Bumi for a place where he could be alone. He could also see the large locked door that led to the next part of the castle that only Bumi had the key to. The hallways were dimly lit and it didn't look like the servants came through here often. The probably came to clean once every few week and were then ordered to leave. He wondered why. Maybe a king needed his privacy every once in a while. He wasn't quite sure.

He heard footsteps coming down the hallway East of him. He started down the hallway and turned the corner expecting to see Toph. But instead, he saw a rather tall Water Tribe warrior rubbing at all of the sore spots a certain earthbender left on his arm not moments ago.

"Hey, Sokka," Aang mumbled, still not getting over the awkward situation back at his room.

Sokka stepped back a little. "You're not going to hit me are you?"

Aang rolled his eyes. Toph definitely caught up to him. "No."

Sokka sighed. "Good. I tell you, sometimes I wonder if she practices her punches when no one's looking. They're starting to bruise," Sokka complained, looking his arm.

"Listen," Aang started. "You…do you mind…you know…not telling anyone?"

"Don't' worry," Sokka said. "Toph made sure of that I wouldn't. And I won't. Besides, she's right if you think about it. You're girlfriend, you're problem."

"Toph's NOT my girlfriend," Aang countered, blushing slightly.

"So that wasn't you two about to kiss back there?" Sokka asked with a smirk on his face.

"I…I don't know what it was," Aang said honestly. He leaned back against the wall and looked to the ceiling hoping that some kind of answer would just fall from the sky. "It's not like I meant to. It was actually kind of an impulse. I don't know why I tried."

Sokka shook his head. "Ah, the awkward phases of young love," he said knowingly, placing a hand on Aang's shoulder. "Look, something like that isn't a random impulse. There's _always _a reason behind stuff like this. And judging by the way you guys have been hanging out together a lot lately, it's obvious that the reason you even tried to kiss her was because you like her. Or am I wrong?"

"…" Aang wasn't about to say that Sokka was wrong, because then he'd be a liar. It was true. Lately, he'd growing more and more attached to his earthbending master. They'd always been best friends back when they were kids, and he'd always said that he liked her. But they had always liked each other as friends and that's how it stayed. She was beautiful, fun to be around and she was the one who told him to brave and never give up. He confided in her for a lot, but they had always stayed friends. _Just_ friends. But ever since Aang had been getting Toph out of extremely sticky situations, it seemed like the attachment had grown. He always felt the need to protect Toph, to tell her that he would be there for her no matter what, even though he knew she didn't need it. But he didn't like protecting her because he thought she needed it. He protected her because he _wanted _to. And even though she may not want to be treated like that and would like to take things head on by herself, he'd be behind her in case she needed him. And he liked that job. He wanted to be her crutch in case she needed it because…well…he _did _like her. A lot.

Sokka smirked at Aang's thoughtful face, knowing that what he said worked. Aang wasn't protesting, so he knew he was right. Not that he doubted himself in the first place. "My work here is done." And he walked away, off to retrieve his treasures from the royal kitchen that he left behind in Aang's room.

Aang didn't notice Sokka had walked away until he suddenly snapped out of his thoughts. He looked around and grumbled to himself. Figures he only came by to give him advice on his personal life. But he was actually surprised that anything Sokka said had actually worked. He had experience with Sokka's love advice, and it had failed horribly right in front of his face. It was good to ignore him when he started coming up with his half-brained advice on how to snag the perfect woman. But then again, he had managed to get Suki to like him. Maybe he was just lucky that his charm had worked on someone. But whatever Sokka said had made Aang realize that there was a reason he enjoyed hanging out with Toph so much. Maybe he should find him and thank him later.

Just then, he heard more footsteps coming down the last hallway that Aang had yet to go down. He only heard one person coming, but for some reason he had felt as though there was someone else coming. Aang pushed himself off the wall and walked towards the approaching footsteps. He looked through the dimly lit hallway and was able to see a clad-green figure coming towards him. Toph.

He was about to run towards her until he saw something else. Behind her was a towering figure, also dressed in Earth Kingdom apparel. Although it looked more like a uniform than anything else. As he looked closer he saw it was a rather tall woman with a stoic expression on her face. As the two of them approached Aang felt his jaw hang open slightly. Aang quickly composed himself and bowed to the woman behind Toph.

"Avatar Kyoshi. It's an honor."

………………………………………………………

"How do you expect Toph to control her bending in only three days? Is that even possible?"

The three benders managed to find an abandoned room in the passageways, just in case a stray servant managed to tick their nose where it wasn't supposed to belong. The less everyone else knew about all of this the better. There was a long table in the middle of the large room, probably used for large meetings. Toph and Aang sat on one side of the long table while Kyoshi sat nice and tall across from them. Aang found it a bit uncomfortable to sit in front of someone like Kyoshi. Even though there was a chance she wasn't trying to be, Kyoshi was extremely intimidating. But since Toph couldn't really see her, she thought she was more annoying than intimidating.

"If we were dealing with a normal case, then no it wouldn't be possible. But from what I've heard, you have a supposed advanced talent in earthbending. More so than most people, am I right?"

Toph failed to overlook the fact that Kyoshi used the word 'supposed.' As if she didn't completely believe that Toph could probably take this Avatar in a fight. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I like to think I have an _extremely_ advancedtalent in earthbending," Toph explained, highly annoyed. Kyoshi glared at Toph, also annoyed at the girl's outburst.

Aang laughed nervously when he felt the sudden tension between the two earthbenders. "Avatar Kyoshi?" Aang asked. Kyoshi averted her glare from Toph and looked at Aang, acknowledging his question.

"Koh has seemed to be toying with Toph. Somehow he's getting to her senses and she seems to be seeing him all over the place. How is she expected to concentrate on her training when he could pop up at any time?"

"Oh, you needn't worry about that, young Avatar," Kyoshi assured. "I've tried my best to conceal your presences as best as I could. You all should now be barely detectable as long as I'm here with you. But I can only keep you concealed for three days. That's why your training is limited to that time, Miss Bei Fong. If you were to practice without my keeping your presence unnoticeable, The Face Stealer will only come twice as fast."

"Well, I guess we should start our training as soon as possible then, huh?" Toph asked.

"I think I remember Bumi saying that the underground training arena was not too far from here," Aang offered. "There was a long staircase that led to a balcony the last time I was here. That balcony overlooked a huge training arena that I think would be perfect for your purposes."

"There was a set of stairs down one of the hallways over here when I was chasing after Snoozles. It led into a really huge space now that I remember. That must've been the training arena. We should go there now and start," Toph said.

"You should notify all of your other friends. We wouldn't want them thinking something is wrong when they hear a sparring session going on down underneath the palace."

Toph fidgeted a little in her seat. That meant telling them that Kyoshi was here. And that also meant telling everyone about everything that was spiritually wrong with her. Aang picked up on the fact that Toph tensed up and put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. Toph looked up.

"I don't think we can avoid telling them anything anymore," he said. Toph nodded.

"How about this?" Aang asked standing up from his seat. "I'll go and update everyone on what they need to know. Meanwhile, I'll leave you two to train together. I wouldn't want to get in your way."

"Well," Toph started. "Maybe we could—"

"That sounds like a perfect solution," Kyoshi interrupted. Toph clenched her teeth. _She's here to help, she' here to help, she's here to help_ she kept repeating.

"Well, then allow me to escort you two to the arena," Aang offered.

Toph looked over at Kyoshi with her arms crossed over her chest. She stood up and rolled her eyes at her, pushing her chair back roughly. Kyoshi failed to miss this and her eyes widened along with a 'how dare you' look on her face.

"Is that the respect you show your superiors, Miss Bei Fong?" Kyoshi asked standing up, giving Toph the coldest glare she could muster.

"Excuse me?" Toph said, obviously not affected by Kyoshi's menacing stare.

"It's clear to me that you obviously have a blatant disregard for manners," Kyoshi answered simply.

Sensing that Toph was losing her temper, Aang tried to nudge her. "Toph," he whispered. "I really don't think you should—"

"I can do whatever I please. And since when did you become Ms. High-and-Mighty?" Toph yelled.

"Since I became the protector of this world and master of all elements," Kyoshi answered proudly.

Toph scoffed. "If you can bend all of the elements, let's see you bend a scrap a metal."

Aang looked back and forth between his friend and his past life. Both were the type of person that could easily win a fight no matter if they were right or wrong. Aang didn't find it smart to break up a fight between two people like that. It was the equivalent to suicide. But, they only had three days…

"Um…well…if you two are done talking, we should, um, be getting to the arena…now…"

Toph and Kyoshi stomped out of the door and made Aang flinch a little as they went by him. He sighed and caught up to them before they killed each other.

The walk over to the training arena was awkward to say the least. The soon-to-be teacher and student duo were not on speaking terms and Aang had to walk in between them just to make the point even more concrete. The only sounds were their feet scuffling along the floors of the palace and Aang, being the social butterfly that he was, found it very uncomfortable to be overcome with silence. Toph could've been a little more respectful to Kyoshi. She is after all her master whether she liked it or not. But at the same time, Kyoshi probably could've gone about pointing that out to Toph a little more nicely. Toph had never really had a human master (well, except for that Master Yu but everyone knew he didn't count) so he guessed that this wasn't going to go smoothly. But this…was ridiculous.

"Well…we're here," Aang alerted the two earthbenders. The three of them were standing in front of a set of large double doors which had a staircase leading down to the large arena that Aang had mentioned. He noticed that no one was making a move so he alerted them again that they were at the arena.

No response. As expected.

"Look, with all due respect, I think in order for this to be successful the teacher and student have to be on _speaking terms_," Aang said a little louder.

Silence.

Aang sighed. "I'm going to go let everyone know what's going on. I'll leave you two to your training." Aang bowed.

Nothing.

Well, this was going along quite nicely.

Aang walked off, muttering to himself about whether leaving Toph alone with Kyoshi was a good idea. He had no doubt that Kyoshi wouldn't dare get out of control with her temper. But Toph…

He shuddered at the thought.

…………………………………………………………………

As soon as Aang was out of Toph's line of vision, she stepped through the double doors with Kyoshi following behind her. The staircase twisted down until it reached a large landing. On the landing was a large archway that led into the open balcony that overlooked the training arena that was just as big as the one back at Earth Rumble VI, Toph noted. Toph turned around to face her teacher. No words were exchanged for a few minutes. It had less to do with the fact that they were mad at each other and more with the fact that they thought they probably couldn't even form a good conversation even if they wanted to.

"So," Toph started. "What's first?"

"First, I want to go over something," Kyoshi stated.

Toph raised her eyebrow. "What?"

"As of this moment, you are my student and I am your teacher whether either of us likes it or not. Therefore, I expect you to refer to me properly as your Sifu."

Toph was dumbstruck. "Excuse me?"

"It only makes sense that you show your master respect. Seeing as you don't have experience with…ahem…human teachers, you probably have never said it to anyone. That's understandable."

Toph crossed her arms, clearly annoyed at how she thought she was better than everyone else. She _really _had problems with people who thought they could tell her what to do. Clearly not willing to say anything, Kyoshi sighed.

"I won't teach you anything unless you address me properly."

Toph lifted her head. "You wouldn't dare. Just because of that?"

Kyoshi shrugged.

Toph grumbled under her breath and held and dug her nails into the railing of the balcony. She _really, REALLY_ didn't like people who thought they could tell her what to do. But she said that she could easily decline the offer. And Toph was desperate for help. Spirits, this woman was stressing her out. Who knew that one person could be so annoying? It was like she was acting like one of those people who abused their power just to see their subordinates squirm around and be forced to follow everything they said. That thought disgusted her. But like she said earlier. She _did_ need help.

Toph let out a very loud sigh. "Fine! What's first in our training…_Sifu_ Kyoshi?"

Who knows what could have happened if Toph was able to see the huge smirk on Kyoshi's face.

"Well, since I've only heard rumors of your bending, I thought I'd get to experiment with it firsthand."

"Meaning?" Toph asked.

"I just want to see how you handle yourself in battle. It'll make it easier to teach you if I know how you fight," she explained.

Toph shrugged. "Easy enough. So what? Do I have to knock you out of the ring…knock _you_ out," Toph said with a little bit of a smile.

"No," Kyoshi said, ignoring the last comment. "Just land a single blow, and that'll be all."

"Alright," Toph agreed. "But no Avatar stuff. Earthbender to earthbender only," Toph emphasized.

Kyoshi smirked. "Very well then. I think that sounds fair."

"So when do we start?" Toph asked, getting more and more eager.

Suddenly, Toph felt a pillar of earth come up above her feet. It was angled to launch her off of the balcony and onto the floor. Toph felt it launch her off of the balcony and the next thing she knew she was in the air. She came crashing down to the floor. Before she could hit the ground, she braced her legs for the impact of the ground. She landed on her feet, covering them in rock to stick her landing. Then she felt Kyoshi come down onto the arena, right in front of Toph. Kyoshi brought her fists forward and brought two medium-sized boulders out from the ground. She flicked her wrists up and sent them straight for Toph. Toph rolled to the left, avoiding the first boulder and brought her arms out in front of her. The boulder collided with her outstretched arms, crumbling to dust upon impact.

Kyoshi walked forward and stopped ten feet away from Toph. "I thought we could start now," Kyoshi said, getting into her stance.

Toph smirked and got into her earthbending stance as well. "Well that sounds like a great idea."

* * *

**A/N: Meh, not too happy with this one at all. I'm actually falling on my face from getting no sleep and I think this chapter suffered for it. Sorry if it seems off and if there are some mistakes. Next one will be action-packed so it should be better.**

**BTW, look out for a continuation of one of my one-shots. I'm kind of excited for it myself!**

**Review! **


	15. Day One of Training I

**A/N: Ugh. School is starting on Wednesday. And I just got finished getting all my books together, hoping that my uniforms come before school starts and making sure that all my summer homework was flawless. You know, surprisingly I want to get back to school already. I'm kind of getting slightly bored just hanging around my house for the past two weeks. I kind of need to something to do. But that feeling always fades after about the first week of school. That's when you start praying for vacation. So for all of you students out there, start getting yourselves into gear soon. Make sure you're not doing things last minute and then you're panicking the night before school starts. And if you've started school already, hang in there. Don't let your summer daydreams distract you. **

**Thanks for all your support on this story. I love you all and I appreciate everything!**

**Chapter 15**

_Kyoshi brought her fists forward and brought two medium-sized boulders out from the ground. She flicked her wrists up and sent them straight for Toph. Toph rolled to the left, avoiding the first boulder and brought her arms out in front of her. The boulder collided with her outstretched arms, crumbling to dust upon impact. _

_Kyoshi walked forward and stopped ten feet away from Toph. "I thought we could start now," Kyoshi said, getting into her stance. _

_Toph smirked and got into her earth bending stance as well. "Well that sounds like a great idea."_

Toph slammed her fists on the ground. The floor began to crumble and shake underneath Kyoshi. The avatar quickly jumped to the left out of the way of Toph's attack. Just as she landed a safe distance away, there was a large pit right in the place where she was previously standing. The ground was still shaking as Toph stood up and faced Kyoshi. It was then that she noticed it. She could feel the avatar's vibrations. She was able to 'see' her plain as day in front of her, which she wasn't able to do before. Her brow furrowed at the sudden realization. She supposed that if Koh could manifest himself, she could too. But it was strange that suddenly she could feel something that two seconds ago wasn't there. She quickly shook her head to try and concentrate. Now that she was able to see her, the fight would be a little more interesting.

Toph earth bended a pillar to launch herself high into the air. She landed with a loud boom only a few feet away from the avatar. As she landed, spikes of earth began to just from the ground completely surrounding the tall woman. Before Toph could bring up a rock to hit her opponent, Kyoshi quickly bent one of the spikes surrounding her at an angle towards Toph. With a swift punch she sent the spike reeling towards Toph. Luckily for the young earth bender, she bended a wall of earth in front of her just in time to block the attack. The impact had sent her sliding a few feet back along the way.

Toph smiled. She used the momentum of the attack to try and send the wall she had just used to block back towards Kyoshi. The wall was sent forward at a high speed. Kyoshi saw the large projectile coming. She used the remaining spikes around her to create a make-shift shield. She bended the spikes together into a large dome to block the wall coming at her. Once she had heard the crash and crumble of the attack, she bended to the dome back down to see the young earth bender again.

Kyoshi chuckled. "I see you're quite crafty with your attacks. A lot of raw power as well. You might want to be careful though." Kyoshi stomped her foot down on the floor and brought up a large boulder, twice the size of Toph. Toph furrowed her eyebrows as she grounded herself further into the floor. Kyoshi smiled at Toph's sudden concentration as she readied her attack.

Kyoshi suddenly punched the rock forward. Toph, seeing as the rock was simply coming straight, lunged forward and was able to come in contact with the rock with the heel of her hand. With as much strength as she could, she punched forward successfully obliterating the rock. But before she could even think, a rock of the same size had come at Toph from the left. She had very little time to block so she opted for jumping out of the way. As she jumped back, she felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder. She landed on her feet a few feet back as she heard the rock crash into the wall. She held her shoulder with her hand as she started to feel her shoulder bruise.

Kyoshi had started walking closer. She started to brush dust off her uniform as she neared the young earth bender. "The problem with using so much power is that it'll throw you off balance. If you're too concentrated on using brute force, you lose the concentration you have on your surroundings, thus getting hurt like you just did."

Toph growled under her breath. "I'm not hurt. It's just a bruise. It's nothing," she insisted.

Kyoshi ignored the comment. "That tactic might have worked on Fire Nation soldiers and other benders. But you're not fighting simple folk anymore. You're fighting an avatar right now, and pretty soon a spirit. You really shouldn't be so reckless."

Toph growled. She lunged forward and brought her palms out in front of her. The wall behind Kyoshi had started to shake. Two slabs of earth had erupted from behind the tall woman, and she saw them about to crush her into the ground. However, it was easily dodged as she sprinted to the side. Kyoshi had brought her arms up and quickly snapped them down. Two rocks had formed on either side of the arena, each on one side of the younger earth bender. Toph didn't move, but stayed perfectly alert. She wasn't quite sure what Kyoshi was trying to do. She didn't want to risk underestimating her attack and then getting hurt again. Kyoshi brought her arms out to the side and then snapped them together in front of her. The rocks started coming full speed straight for Toph.

The left rock had come faster than the right, so Toph opted for dodging the left as it went by. Seeing as how the right was less than a second away from her, she held out her arms ready to catch the rock in her hands. The rock collided with her hands and it was only then that she really felt how fast the rock was going. She reeled back on her heels a good several feet. When she was slightly stable enough, she punched the boulder forward. She felt Kyoshi muscles tighten and was sure that this time she would probably jump up and dodge seeing as there were high piles of rubble around her. The only other way she could possibly go was up. Toph smiled at the slight advantage. She stomped her foot on the ground and kicked a rock above her as high as she could.

Kyoshi had seen the rock that she had thrown at the blind earth bender come at her with strong force. She had jumped up into the air to avoid damage, just as Toph had predicted she would. In mid-air, she looked ahead of her and saw that the girl had sent another rock right at her. It was small but it seemed to be going extremely fast. Kyoshi had veered to the left, only missing the impact by a fraction of a second. She landed on the ground, staring ahead of her as she looked for the bender among the piles of broken rock and stone.

Toph had frowned when she saw that the attack had missed. She felt Kyoshi land behind a pile of rock. Toph stood up straight as she tried to brush the excess dirt from her pants. As she brushed her pants, she winced as a sharp pain shot through her left shoulder. She lifted the sleeve of her shirt and touched her shoulder. She winced at the slight contact. She must've made it worse when she tried to stop that fast boulder that had come her way. She could still move it, but not as well as she would've liked. She scowled. She never got hurt like this when she was younger. Was she just out of practice? Staying with her parents for so long without being able to bend seriously might have made her a bit rusty. But she didn't think that was what it was. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, the previous avatar was better than she had originally thought.

Almost as if she read her mind, Kyoshi emerged from behind the rubble and started to speak again. "You're awfully confident for someone so young. You really shouldn't underestimate a person and their attacks. That's exactly what you did when you tried to stop that last boulder. And it looks like you got even more injured in the process." She tilted her head towards Toph's right hand which was still clasping her left shoulder. Toph removed her hand and stood up straight. She muttered to herself as she saw Kyoshi getting closer to her. She still hadn't been able to land a single hit on the bender and they had been going at this for a while. Normally, she would've gotten her opponents knocked out by now. But she couldn't deny that small part of her mind that partially enjoyed this. She was finally fighting someone that was a challenge to her. They were matched equally and she didn't have the higher ground like she usually did. Aang had told her that Kyoshi had lived until she was extremely old. Apparently she was the longest living avatar. She guessed that being around that long had gotten her extremely well at what she did best.

Toph stopped her thoughts as Kyoshi attacked again. The floor had started to open up underneath her as she felt the ground splitting beneath her. It was easy enough to move out the way. But as soon as she was safe, Kyoshi had started dishing out multiple attacks at once, throwing rocks back at Toph in larger numbers than before. Toph had to run in order to avoid all of them. She rolled out of the way of the last boulder that was coming at her. The dust cleared from the attack and both benders still stood tall.

Toph tried to ignore the pain in her left shoulder. It was starting to become a nuisance and she knew that she had to end this fight now before the rest of her arm paid for it as well. The one problem with Kyoshi was that she was annoyingly perceptive towards what was around her. She knew what was coming from the sides, from the front, from the back, and from above and below her. She always knew if she could dodge to the left, or if she could jump out of the way. She kept all possible pathways of escape and attack on close surveillance. Toph had only been attacking one way at a time. Wither it was from the front or from the sides. If she could somehow find a way to attack from all possible angles…

Toph was immediately pulled out of her thoughts as she felt a barrage of attacks come her way. They were all in a line coming from the same direction and they started coming at her without hesitation. Toph jumped over them, for they really weren't that big, and landed on the ground again. Toph breathed in out and out deeply. She would have to do this quick.

Toph ran forward and brought piles f rubble crashing down from the walls around them. They fell loudly on the ground around the two benders. Rocks were piled high on either side of Kyoshi as she was standing up against the wall. Kyoshi had began throwing more rocks at Toph, but she wasn't concentrated on dodging. She had to hurry up.

Toph ran and earth bended herself in the air on top of one of the piles of rubble. She shot her right hand forward as she sent a slab of earth right towards Kyoshi. Kyoshi had easily dodged the attack as she opted for making her way atop the pile of rubble that Toph wasn't standing on. As she landed, ready to make another attack, she saw another slab of earth try to catch from the back. Kyoshi had quickly jumped from her perch from the top of the large pile of rocks and had jumped back down to the ground, completely avoiding the blow. Before her feet could touch the ground, rocks had started coming at her. One large one came from the opening the piles of rock made opposite the wall, several came from the top of the large rock piles, and a few also started to fall down on top of her. Seeing as how she was in for an impending ambush, Kyoshi could do nothing but quickly but up a rock shield around her in order to block all of the attacks that had seemingly come out of nowhere.

The crash that followed was deafening.

Toph had jumped off the pile of rocks she was situated atop of and landed on her feet, ignoring the pain that now shot through her entire left arm. She was completely unaffected by the lack of visibility the sudden cloud of dust had caused. She waited patiently for Kyoshi to emerge and possibly make an attack. There was complete silence. She felt Kyoshi across from her but she couldn't tell if she got hit or not. Toph just kept waiting.

The dust started to clear and Kyoshi had started walking towards Toph. She was walking s tall and as confident as ever, so Toph assumed a defensive position, thinking that she was still unharmed. But as she felt closer, she was able to tell that Kyoshi was grabbing on to her forearm. Was she hurt?

"It looks like you ripped my uniform rather well," she said as she stopped in front of Toph, letting her arm drop to her side.

Kyoshi smirked. "I have to commend you on your efforts. That was a very good move you just pulled. I'm impressed." Toph couldn't help but smirk back at her, clearly happy with the compliment.

"Well…I guess you weren't too bad either," she mumbled honestly.

Kyoshi had placed her hand down on Toph's right shoulder at looked down at her. "I had assumed you were incompetent and didn't know your way around the art. And I see that I was obviously wrong. You have amazing skill in what you do."

Toph raised an eyebrow for a second, not sure if she heard Kyoshi correctly. But she smiled in return. "Well, I try," she said.

Kyoshi lifted the sleeve of Toph's other shoulder and looked at it with a slight frown. Her shoulder was badly bruised and her arm was started to swell up. Kyoshi shook her head and let Toph's sleeve drop. She looked at the earth bender again who she could tell was trying her hardest to show that she wasn't in pain. "But you're still awfully reckless. Look at that arm. You should learn when you've reached your limits instead of hurting yourself so carelessly." Kyoshi turned and started to fix the arena by repairing the walls as best she could.

Toph rolled her eyes at her comment. She wasn't reckless. She just didn't let little injuries get in her way of fighting. But now that the adrenaline was no longer pumping through her, it was getting harder and harder to ignore the fact that she had really injured herself pretty badly.

"I think you should go eat and get that taken care of," Kyoshi said gesturing towards Toph's shoulder. "Come back in about an hour. I can't start to officially train you when you're hurt like that."

Toph nodded without a word and turned back to the doorway. Still clutching onto her shoulder which was really starting to hurt, she was still able to feel Kyoshi working on salvaging the arena. Toph wasn't totally sure, but something about that woman was just a little strange. It was almost at that moment after the fight that she was actually nice. Yet before, she was close to bringing Toph over the edge. She didn't know why, but for some reason that made Toph like her a little. She wasn't straightforward like she expected her to be. Toph chuckled. It was a little weird to think of Kyoshi as anything _but_ different. After all she wasn't exactly the most normal person she met. But still, she had to admit that Kyoshi was partially all right.

* * *

Toph knocked on one of the doors in the middle of the hallway. She counted the doors to the left. There were three other rooms before this one. Good. Then this was supposed to be Katara's room. She felt someone on the other side of the door and she was pretty sure that it was her. Toph let out a sigh of relief knowing that Katara wasn't around to hear what Aang had to say to everyone. She had thought about it while she was walking here. And she had to admit that leaving them all in the dark like she and Aang had been doing was a little unfair. After all, they were all friends and they had a right to know everything, may it be a messed up jumble of things that seemed far too unreal to happening or not. But if she really did have to pill everything, she would rather tell Suki and Katara herself. Besides, it was clear Aang was going to tell everyone else. She sort of had to tell the rest of the girls whether she wanted to or not.

She pounded on the door again with her good arm. She heard a shuffling of feet on the other side of the door. Then she felt another set of footsteps come out of Katara's bath room. Toph concentrated on the extra footsteps. They were confident and tall, just like a certain earth bending avatar that she recently happened to know. Suki must have been in there as well. Toph felt the door open and heard Katara's intake of breath at the sight before her.

"Toph! What happened?" she asked, worriedly.

Toph shrugged slightly. "I was training in the earth bending arena Bumi showed me and got carried away."

Suki pushed through the door. "Hey what's going on?" she asked. She gasped when she stared at Toph's shoulder. "Oh my gosh, Toph. You're bleeding."

"Hm?" she asked. Toph touched a hand to her shoulder. Sure enough, there was a sticky metallic smelling substance on her fingers. It seemed like she _did_ push herself harder than she should have. Toph sighed and looked back towards the girls. "Do you mind healing this? It's hurting like crazy."

Katara ushered Toph inside of her room and shut the door. She pulled Toph over to the edge of her bed as she sat next to her. Suki had followed right after the girls and sat down in the middle of the bed behind them. Toph felt Suki reach over and rip the sleeve off of Toph's shirt to better see the extremely serious bruise that took up her entire shoulder. Toph winced as she felt Suki's fingers brush against her arm. Katara had gotten up and quickly ran to the bathroom. She brought back a basin filled with cold water. Toph heard the water swish around as Katara bended a steady stream form the basin. Toph flinched as she felt the cool water hit her shoulder. There was a small hum coming from the water as Katara worked it into the bruise. Toph relaxed as some of the pain started to go away.

After a few minutes, Katara spoke first. "What in the world did you do to yourself?" she asked, clearly worried.

Toph waved her off. "It was nothing, Sugar Queen. I just got a little carried away. A rock fell on my shoulder and it got a little banged up. It's not a big deal."

Katara frowned with uncertainty, but accepted what she said. "Alright, whatever you say. But you really should be more careful." She continued working the water on Toph's shoulder.

Suki stuck her head over Toph's right shoulder and looked at her face. "You know something? We haven't talked to you much lately. I mean we've gone looking for you in your room, but you're never there. And we really only see you at dinner. Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, concerned.

Toph sighed and looked down. "I'm fine. I guess I'm just a little distracted."

Katara nodded. "I guess you're right. You know, I never thought something this crazy would be happening like this. It almost seems like it isn't real. I mean, a spirit chasing after you? I never thought that stuff like this was something that we had to potentially worry about. I mean sure the Fire Nation was understandable. But spirits? I just can't wrap my mind around it."

Suki agreed. "You know I always thought spirits were supposed to look over you and protect you. At least that's how my parents made it sound when I was little. I never thought they could have a history of harming people."

Toph shrugged. "Well, where's there's a good guy there's a bad guy. I guess it's something we can't avoid no matter what we do."

Katara had removed her hands from Toph's shoulder and told her that she was done. Toph rolled out her shoulder and stretched it out. Her shoulder was good as new. She had always thought that was an extremely handy talent that Katara had. If she had stuck to bandages and herbs, it would've taken her shoulder about a week to heal. Toph sighed and leaned back on top of the bed. She brought her arms up behind her head as she nestled into the silk sheet on Katara's bed.

"I keep forgetting how cool that healing power of yours is. It works wonders," she said.

Katara shrugged. "It's not a big deal really. A lot of other people can do it."

Toph sighed. "This is really starting to get annoying. I mean we haven't left the castle in days. I'm tired of hiding out in here all of the time," she complained.

Suki leaned against the bed post at the foot of the bed. She nodded in agreement, though Toph could already tell that everyone agreed with her. Katara bit her lip as she poked Toph on the shoulder. Toph turned her head and faced Katara.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Go ahead," Toph answered.

"Well," Katara began, "Suki and I were coming back towards the rooms on our way from the kitchen. But then we passed by Zuko's room and we heard the guy's talking. Aang was talking to them for a while, and they all sounded worried when they were mumbling on the other side. We couldn't hear anything for a while so we had started to walk away. But then we started hear them mention your name. I heard them say something about you being ready for something and whether or not there would be enough time."

Suki had started up the conversation again. "They sounded really bothered. But we couldn't hear anything else after that. So…we were just wondering…if you weren't telling us something."

Toph shook her head and sighed. "Look, it's nothing you need to—"

"Please don't start with that," Katara cut in. "Look Toph. Despite what you may think, you're not going through this by yourself. You've got friends to back you up the entire way and we're here to help you. And we can't help you if you're not telling us everything. So please. Can you just tell us what's going on?"

Toph sat up and looked down at the floor of the room. She knew that she had to tell them sooner or later. They were right. They were her friends. She remembered what Aang had told her that night. He was helping her because he wanted to, not because he thought that she needed it. It was nice to have people care about her like that and she thought that it was only fair to tell them everything. She shouldn't leave anything out.

Toph sighed again. "Alright fine. The guys sounded like they found out, so I guess you should, too."


	16. Day One of Training II

**A/N: HAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm baaaaack~~**

**Wow. Sorry for the super long hiatus everyone. Things were getting hectic. But you have no idea how good it is to be back! I'm going to make a vow to finish all of my stories. They will not be forgotten. This I swear to you all. **

**And...*does a double take*...did I really just get 100 reviews for this story? I have to admit, I didn't even think many people would read this one. Thank you all so so much. You don't know how happy that number makes me. It really is a confidence-booster. It means a lot. Thank you, thank you, thank you. **

**To make up for the absence, I bring you an extra long chapter. Hope you enjoy**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

He felt it and it was fading fast. The energy that he was feeling before, the presence of his target, her scent, her being, and her power were all that he had been holding on to lately. And now they were all quickly depleting, disappearing from his senses.

He scowled in the darkness as he concentrated further. He had spent so many years looking for these women, and the fact that he was now having so much trouble simply locking on to her energy eluded him. It was as if she was slowly disappearing. Not dying. If she were dead, he would still be able to find her. Her body would more than likely still have excess, pent up energy flowing through her that he would be able to follow. But this…this feeling he was getting…it was as if she was simply disappearing into nothing.

It was almost gone now. The power she naturally emanated was just about gone. There was only the slightest touch of it left. He growled as he stretched his senses out even further. He wasn't about to lose track of her. He didn't have time for that. He couldn't risk wasting the time of having to lock on to her all over again. That had taken years already.

The power started to grow only slightly, but he smirked as he felt the power starting to show itself again. He felt her scent and her presence flow inside him, and he relished in the feeling of her power. She was so strong and she didn't even know it. He concentrated even further and felt more of the energy course through him. It was small, and almost nonexistent, but it was very much there and alive. He tried again to stretch out even further to see if he could sense her more accurately, and smiled at her power.

But his smiles quickly turned into growls and curses when the girl disappeared completely from his radar.

His voice resonated off of the walls of his home as he racked his brain for an answer. She had disappeared. It was as if she now no longer existed. There was absolutely no trace of her to follow, to feel, to smell, to taste…nothing. He could only surmise that a spirit was behind all of this, trying to hide the girl and give her more time. There was no other explanation. The Face Stealer paced around his cave, his centipede-like feet clicking with precision against the cold stone floor. He grimaced at his misfortune.

"Where are you?" he asked, speaking to nothing. "Where have you gone?"

----------

"A-are you sure that's it?"

Toph nodded, her pale green eyes set in concentration. "I can't think of anything else to say. I don't know much myself though," she replied.

Katara nodded and breathed out the breath she seemed to be holding. Toph sat across from the two other girls on the bed and waited. She really wished that she could see their faces to get a sense of what the reaction was. Sure, they were breathing a little weird and their heartbeats were off, but that usually happens when you hear something particularly shocking. She almost expected Suki to be the calmer and more collected of the two. After all, she was a trained warrior. She pretty much had the poker face concept down to a science. She was supposed to be used to stuff like this. Katara…well she was probably looking like a gaping fish right now.

Toph sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about any of this sooner. But, I wasn't sure I wanted anyone to know. You don't how much of I freak I feel like right now. I wasn't exactly sure how to go about bringing it up either."

Katara mumbled. "So, all these days that you were disappearing with Aang, you were talking about all of this?"

Toph nodded again. She heard Suki shift in front of her and settle further into the sheet of Katara's bed. She sighed and shook her head. "This doesn't make any sense," Suki muttered. "I've never even heard of the Avatar's love interests having abnormal bending powers, let alone getting reincarnated. Why would something like this be kept a secret from everyone?"

Toph shrugged. "Well, that spirit's been hunting the Avatar's soul mate for ages. He's actually gotten away with snagging a few of them. I guess it was a way of protection. If no one knew except for the spirits, it would avoid mass pandemonium. I mean imagine if Gaoling knew that eventually a spirit would be coming after me. Could you even picture the disaster that would be?"

Katara's eyes widened similarly to Suki's at the realization and they both nodded. "I guess you're right."

Suki sighed. "This is unbelievable. I guess this is why we haven't tried going after this thing yet?" Toph nodded in affirmation.

Katara shook her head. "You said there was an Avatar that was going to be training you for a while. Do you know who she is?"

Toph chuckled nervously. "Actually, I already met her," she replied. She reached over to her shoulder and started rubbing it in circles. "That's kind of why my shoulder was all banged up. I was downstairs just now practicing with her."

Suki blinked and leaned in closer towards Toph. "Wait a minute. _Her?_ Who's training you?"

Toph winced and looked to the left of Suki. She grumbled. "Promise you won't freak out?"

Suki scrunched her eyebrows together. "Um…sure. But why would I freak out?"

Toph laughed a little and smirked. She leaned over and whispered something onto Suki's ear. Katara couldn't help but smile a little when she saw Suki's eyes widen infinitesimally. Toph pulled away and left Suki there staring wide eyed into space. Katara looked over at Suki and slowly saw a smile of admiration cross her face. Suki quickly lunged over to Toph and held her by her shoulders, their noses two inches apart.

"Avatar Kyoshi is training you?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Toph just shrugged. In all honesty, she didn't see what the big deal was.

_But then again, they probably worship that woman back at that crazy island she comes from. It would only make sense that she likes her so much. _

Suki plopped back down on the bed. "Wow. I can't believe she's helping you. I can't wait to meet her. Oh gosh, there's so much I want to ask her," Suki said as her eyes started twinkling a little.

Toph rolled her eyes. "Are you serious? She was giving me such a hard time before. I mean, can you say 'obnoxious'?"

Katara laughed. "Okay Toph. I know I wasn't there to see any of this, but I'm pretty sure she was not the only one that was giving someone a hard time," she said, crossing her arms.

Toph glared over at Katara. "What are you implying?"

Katara shrugged. "It's just that…well you tend to get a little competitive. I can imagine you and a fellow female Earth Bender having an episode. The tension between the two of you must have been suffocating and I'm pretty sure she wasn't the only one behind it."

Toph muttered to herself. "Yeah, well she started it."

Katara laughed. "Whatever you say, although I highly doubt that." She promptly ignored the cold glare Toph threw at her and looked over at Suki. She nudged Toph and turned her head over to Suki. "Do you think she's okay?" Katara whispered.

Toph raised a brow. "What is she doing?" she asked.

"Staring into space, mumbling to herself, probably day dreaming about meeting her idol," Katara answered. "Think about it: I doubt very many Kyoshi warriors have met her."

Toph shook her head. "I don't get it. The woman's as stubborn as they come. I mean she thinks she's so great, she acts like she can bend better than anyone else in the world and it's sickening to hear how much pride she has in herself. She's so self absorbed."

Katara poked Toph. "Sound familiar?"

Toph stared blankly over at Katara. "You're not funny."

"It's true though. You're practically describing yourself. I guess it's better this way anyway. You guys can relate and you act the same. And if I can make a guess, you guys probably fight similarly to some degree. You're a perfect match."

Toph rolled her eyes. _Yeah, great_

Katara waved her off when she saw her reaction. "Oh come off it. I'm sure she's not as horrible as you're making her sound."

Toph didn't show any indication of it on her face, but she agreed. After what she said about her before she came upstairs, Toph couldn't help but think that Kyoshi wasn't at all that bad. Of course, she'd never admit that to anyone upfront, but the ex-Avatar was tolerable. Toph leaned back against the bed post and brought her knees up to her chest. She rested her arms on the tops of her knees as she sighed in frustration.

"Are you okay?" Suki asked, seeming to have gotten over her initial shock.

Toph shook her head. "I just can't help but think about something."

Katara moved closer to the two girls. "What?"

Toph rubbed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger as she sorted out her thoughts. "I guess I'm just thinking too much. But I'm just wondering…I know that Koh is after this crazy bending power that I have, but once he has it what is he going to use it for? It doesn't make sense. Someone wouldn't want to be all powerful just for the sake of bragging about the fact that they are. He'd want to use all that power for something, wouldn't he?"

Katara fumbled with the strings of her shirt. "I don't know. Nobody really knows that much about Koh. From what I've heard from stories and from what Aang has told me, he's a very mysterious spirit. Nobody completely knows everything there is to know about him. And I'm pretty sure there is no fully understanding his motives. But you're right. Wouldn't he want that power for something?"

Suki nodded. "Of course he would. The way you made it sound Toph, that bending power you have seems to tower over all other's save for probably the power of the Avatar himself. I mean, can you imagine what someone could do with all of that energy if they got enough of it? And didn't you say before that he had already captured a few of these people? Who's to say that he hasn't been storing up this power for ages to use later when he has enough of it? He must be planning something gigantic," Suki finished.

"But what could he possibly want to do?" Toph asked. "I thought Koh was just an evil spirit. He likes messing with people, and oddly messing with people means ripping off their face. It's not exactly a _pleasant_ hobby, but isn't it just that? A hobby? What ulterior motive could a spirit like that have? What is he planning that needs so much energy?"

Suki shrugged in defeat. "Who really knows? It's impossible to tell. But for now, you should just focus on staying alive and safe, don't you think?"

Toph scowled. This was all sounding ridiculous. It was as if she was hanging by a thin thread. If she swung too hard, she'll definitely fall and get into some dangerous trouble. But if she didn't swing hard enough, she'll just be stuck with nowhere to go. It was all so frustrating to have to deal with. She didn't know what she was doing. She knew that she had help, but how long was this going to take? What if she didn't learn any of this on time? What if she fails? _Then_ what will happen?

_Listen to me, I'm sounding more and more like Aang every day_, she scolded herself.

Toph quickly shook away her thoughts when she felt Katara's cold hand on her shoulder. She kept her gaze down as she felt Suki's hand lay on her other shoulder. She felt them both give her a reassuring squeeze, as if they were both fully aware of her inner conflict. Katara shook her gently.

"Stop looking like that. That's not who you are. You're the one who's always telling everyone else not to be scared and to face what you need to do without any apprehension," Katara smiled. "It wouldn't make sense for you to go back on your word now, right?"

Toph nodded slightly and looked up at her two friends. She missed the comforting gazes that her friends were sending her way, but the warmth she felt from their hands was comforting enough for her. She didn't know when she started doubting herself so much all of a sudden. It didn't make sense and it was useless to just act so helpless like she had been doing lately. It was like she had given up all hope. And she remembered a time when someone had said that hope was really all a person had left when times got rough. If you didn't have hope, then what was the point?

Toph gave a small smile. "Thanks. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you two sooner. I should have. It wasn't fair to you."

Suki waved her off. "Aw, don't worry about it. You told us now and that's what matters. Besides, now we can help you a little. If more people know about your problems, the load off of your shoulders lessens a little bit."

Katara agreed. "She's right. You have our full blown support. We'll help you no matter what, alright?"

Toph felt reassurance flood through her. She let out a relived breath. At least now she had some support. Everything suddenly felt better now that she knew she wasn't alone.

_I guess help isn't so bad. _

Toph slid off of the bed and jumped onto her feet. She brushed off her clothes and looked back towards the other two fighters. "Well, if you're going to help me, we better get started soon. There's a training session that I need to get to downstairs. You two wanna come?"

Katara gave her a careful gaze. "Are you sure? I mean, we wouldn't want to get in the way. You are training with an Avatar. Shouldn't we leave you two be or something?"

Toph scoffed. "You've watched me and Twinkles train together and _he's_ an Avatar."

Katara shrugged. "Yeah," she continued, still a little unsure, "but are you completely positive it's okay?"

Toph rolled her eyes and reached out and around for Katara's hand. As soon as she had a good grip of it, she yanked her off of the bed and towards the door. She heard Katara's feet shuffling off balance as she pulled the Water Bender across the room. "Stop acting so apprehensive. It's just training, Sugar Queen. How bad could it be if you just watch? It's not like it's some sacred initiation or something."

"But, you're learning some crazy, new, ancient bending. I don't think we should get in the way," she fumbled.

"We won't be in the way," Suki agreed. "We'll just stay on the sidelines and run away if any stray projectiles come at us." She slid off of the bed as well and followed the other two girls toward the door. "Besides, getting pelted with rocks is worth getting to see Avatar Kyoshi."

Toph snarled. "Really, it's annoying how much you idolize that woman."

"It's not idolizing," Suki countered, "it's called admiration."

Toph shook her head. "They're the same thing and you know it. But whatever. I'm not going to judge," she said, holding up one hand in defense.

Katara placed a finger to her mouth. "Do you think three days is enough for you to learn Toph?" she asked, changing the subject. "I mean sure you're a quick learner but this seems like a lot to take in."

Toph stopped in her tracks as her hand froze on the doorknob she was about to twist open. "Well, if I'm not a fast-enough learner, I better start becoming one," she stated.

"Stop worrying," Suki insisted. "That's how you psyche yourself out. If you think you're not going to do well then you won't do well. It's all a matter of how high you set your standards. You have to think you're going to succeed if it's actually going to happen. It's mind over matter Toph, trust me."

"Yeah, but if you set your standards high and you wind up failing, then the disappointment is much more greater versus when you set your standards low," she countered.

Suki sighed. "Since when did you become so cynical?"

Toph shrugged and opened the door. "I guess it's been growing over time."

Katara looked ahead of Toph and gasped lightly. "Um…Toph," she warned pointing ahead of her with her other hand, "watch out!"

Toph looked back towards Katara. "Wha—"

She was cut off when she collided into the wall in front of her and dropped Katara's hand (which she didn't even realize she was still holding.) However, it was strange, because the wall felt hard yet soft at the same time. Toph placed her hands on the wall in front of her and felt the strange contours and indentations in the wall. She also felt it move up and down in a rhythmic pattern. It radiated warmth and it felt kind of nice to be next to it. It was odd, but not uncomfortable. Toph looked back to hear Suki and Katara giggling behind her. Toph scrunched her brow and was about to ask what was so funny but she was interrupted by a voice in front of her.

"Um…Toph?"

Toph's eyes widened.

Did walls talk? Last time she checked…no, they did _not_.

So that meant…oh no.

"A-Aang?" she asked nervously, too bothered to even think of using his nickname.

"Yeah. Are…you okay?" he asked, concerned.

Toph quickly shoved Aang away from her—although she silently missed how nice it felt being so close to him—and stepped back, sending Aang reeling a few feet away from her in the process.

_No need to give anyone else any more ideas,_ she thought, though it was probably too late now. She was blushing like mad right now.

"Um…sorry…I thought you were, um…uh…sorry," she stuttered.

_Ugh! Come on. Now you can't even talk right in front of him? Are you _trying_ to appear obvious?!_

"Ha…it's fine…" Aang said nervously. She imagined him scratching the back of his head right now. He was one to get nervous easily. "We were actually trying to find you."

"We?" she asked. Toph felt Suki and Katara peek from behind her and looked past Aang's shoulders. Toph suddenly realized the presence of two other people behind her Earth Bending student. One was leaning against the frame of the door and the other was standing stoically with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Toph felt her cheeks heating up. Sparky and Snoozles were standing there too? Had everyone seen that?

"Yeah," she heard Zuko say from behind Aang. "We figured you be hanging around in Katara's room. You're almost never in yours," he pointed out.

Toph nodded, but said nothing else. Suki came from behind Toph's shoulder and stepped next to her. She casually leaned her elbow on Toph's shoulder and asked, "So, do you guys…?"

Sokka nodded. "Yup. Aang here told us everything," he replied, patting Aang on the back.

All three girls did nothing but nod. The six friends stood there in an awkward silence for a few minutes: Sokka, Aang, and Zuko standing in front of Suki, Toph, and Katara. Toph felt Katara fidgeting and balancing on her toes while Suki was drumming her fingers against Toph's shoulder blade. Sokka was whistling, Zuko was tapping his foot, and Aang was just standing in front with the two other guys next to him.

Weren't uncomfortable silences fabulous?

"So…what do we do now?" Toph asked quietly. Nobody responded.

She heard Katara sigh next to her. "Well…isn't Kyoshi downstairs waiting for you?"

"Yeah, I guess," Toph perked up. "She's probably wondering what the heck happened to me and why I'm taking so long. Might as well get down there," she answered.

Suki poked Toph's shoulder. "Um…hey, do you think that I can maybe…you know…?"

Toph sighed and shrugged. "Sure, you can come and talk to her if you want."

Suki laughed and enveloped her in her arms. Through the barrage of compliments, thank you's, and squeals of excitement, she heard Aang ask her something. She pushed her way out of Suki's grip and left her to her ramblings. "What did you say?"

"Mind if we all come and watch too?" he repeated.

Toph tilted her head. "Why?" she wondered.

Zuko shrugged in front of her. "There isn't much to do around here anyway. Besides, I think watching a sparring session would be a decent way to pass the time, don't you think?" he asked with a smirk.

Toph nodded. "I like your logic. Does that sound okay with everyone else?"

After receiving a chorus of affirmations, the group started trekking through the long halls of the palace towards the training arena. As they walked on, Toph heard Sokka and Zuko laughing on her left and Katara and Suki prattling on about Kyoshi on her right. She could've swore she heard the guys mention Katara's name, but she wasn't sure. It would make sense that they both had a decent amount of stories to tell about Katara. She was damn frightening when she wanted to be. She wasn't sure that Katara could hear much of what they were saying anyway. She was too busy with Suki. Well, it was mostly Suki doing all of the talking. Katara was just standing and nodding her head at appropriate times, seemingly drowning out half of what the warrior was saying. Toph smiled. She knew that Katara was picking up something from her. Toph took the opportunity to nudge Aang with her elbow. He looked to his right down at Toph and asked her what was wrong.

"How'd it go? You know with the guys and everything?" she questioned, starting at him with her cloudy eyes.

"Better than I expected. Zuko took it rather well. It took Sokka awhile to understand what I was saying. I think I had to repeat everything because he kind of didn't catch it the first time," he said, scratching his head. "But other than that, they took it fine. What about Katara and Suki?"

"Pretty much the same," she admitted. "I mean Suki seemed to be accepting of it, but Katara was gaping for a bit. Overall, it wasn't as bad as I thought either," she finished.

"Told you so," Aang smiled as he nudged Toph lightly with his elbow. "You need to listen to me more often."

"Please. Get over yourself, Twinkle Toes. You're not _that_ awesome," she chuckled, nudging him back.

While Toph and Aang kept up their game of pushing each other playfully to the side while they talked, Toph felt herself smile the biggest smile she had smiled in a while. She remembered what she told Aang in his room before the…ahem…_incident_. It felt like ever since she had gotten back from her parent's house, it was like everyone was too absorbed in their coupled lives to even think about acting like they used to before all of this trouble. That left Toph and Aang to rough it out by themselves as the 'single' ones in the group. But, strangely, the walk to the arena didn't feel detached and awkward like she thought it was going to be. They were all still friends. They were all still together. They were all on the same page. Just like it used to be.

"You're smiling a lot," Aang commented all of a sudden.

Toph shrugged. "Is that a problem?"

"Nope, not at all," he said, brushing a bang out of her eyes. "You need to do it more often. You were looking pretty miserable lately. I was getting worried," he grinned.

Toph thanked whatever spirits were still on her side that everyone was so wrapped up in their own conversations to notice the little gesture Aang just made as well as the blush in her face that she tried her best to hide.

After a short walk, the six fighters found themselves standing on the middle of the underground arena, the rocks and cracks that littered the place neatly cleaned up as if they had never been there. Toph cursed at her inability to be able to tell where Kyoshi was now. She probably only made herself visible like that when she absolutely had to. But it was still rather frustrating. She scowled as she poked the person next to her. Katara.

"Do you see anyone?" Toph asked.

Katara shook her head. "There's no one here. Are you sure she said she was going to be down here?"

"Of course," Toph answered. "She insisted that I go fix up my shoulder before she got serious with me. There wouldn't be a reason for her _not_ to be here."

"Well, maybe she skipped out on you," Sokka suggested. Toph pushed him off balance and smirked as she heard the satisfying thud that came when he landed on the ground.

"Not likely. She was rushing and bothering me during training before. There's no way that she's done with me yet," she scowled.

"You're right about that."

Everyone simultaneously turned around and met eyes—well, almost everyone—with Avatar Kyoshi, standing not three yards away from everyone. Aang, being the current Avatar and all, decided to step forward first and bow in front of the tall woman. After exchanging a quiet, formal greeting, Toph smirked at her teacher. "Sifu," she said as respectfully as she would allow herself. No need to be stepping milestones in such a short amount of time.

"Good to see you're one hundred percent. I was starting to think you had given up," she smirked.

Toph scoffed. "Please. It'll take a lot more than that to scare me away. Don't you worry."

Toph heard a squeak of shock coming from the side. Sure enough, Suki was having a heart attack right next to her. She leaned over to Suki's ear and whispered, "You know, you can go say hi. It's not a crime." Suki meekly nodded and stepped forward. She bowed as low as she could and rose back up to meet Kyoshi straight in the eyes. As Suki stared into the bright eyes of her idol, she composed her face and her voice as best she could as she spoke.

"Avatar Kyoshi. It's such an honor to be in your presence," Suki stated.

Kyoshi smiled and gestured for Suki to stand. "It's wonderful to meet the captain of the Kyoshi warriors. I've been watching you girls during your battles. You've all impressed me beyond words. You should be very proud of your work."

Suki smiled with pride as she slightly bowed her head. "Thank you," she said.

"Well," Kyoshi announced. "I believe you and I have some business we haven't finished up yet," she said, referring to the blind Earth Bender in front of her.

Toph shrugged. "I'm ready for anything at this point."

Kyoshi turned and gave a stern look to the other five audience members. "If you all would be so kind as to give us a bit of space…"

Suki straightened her back and gave a small bow before she pushed everyone else as far away from the two Earth Benders as possible. Toph laughed at the sight of Suki acting like an obedient little girl next to the previous Avatar. She ignored her friends at the moment and turned back to her mentor.

"You're going to have to start practicing with your bending if you're going to have any hope of controlling it," Kyoshi explained.

"You see," she began, "the Avatar's lover is very much like the Avatar himself in the sense that they both obtain unique bending abilities. Of course, your powers are much more limited than the Avatar's. You can only bend one element, in your case it's Earth. Also, your connection with the Spirit World is much weaker than the Avatar's. In fact, the only way you can hope to enter the Spirit World is with the help of the Avatar himself. This also applies to humans, as a matter of fact." She turned towards the small audience and saw them all listening with intent. She turned back towards Toph and continued.

"However, the Avatar's lover is reincarnated in a style similar to that of the Avatar Cycle."

"So you mean that when I die, I get reincarnated in the Fire Nation, right?" Toph asked.

"Exactly," she said. "You also contain a defense mechanism similar to that of the Avatar State. You are able to access the knowledge of all of your past lives and harness their powers as well as their knowledge to assist you in combat. This also happens to be your most vulnerable state. If you are injured while you are in this powerful state, the reincarnation cycle will be broken."

Toph nodded at the familiarity of the conversation. She remembered Aang telling her all of this a while back so she understood exactly what Kyoshi was saying. "So how do I control this power?" she asked.

"Simple," Kyoshi responded. "With a lot of practice and application. If you remember last time you battled Koh, you actually momentarily entered your most powerful state. But, using your powers when you were so new to them caused you to be overwhelmed, hence you being knocked unconscious for so long." Toph nodded at the memory.

"If we can get you to practice with your powers and get used to them," Kyoshi continued, "then you can learn how to fight while using them and avoid being severely weakened.

"Do you remember anything from the last time you used your powers?" Kyoshi asked.

Toph furrowed her brows as she thought back to the fight with Koh back at the abandoned town they had visited weeks ago. "Well," she thought out loud. "I felt Aang get pinned up against a tree by Koh and I could tell that he was about to cause some serious damage…and…I didn't want him to get hurt," she finished quietly. "I kind of just snapped and attacked right away. I can't really remember much after that. That's when I had passed out," she finished.

Kyoshi nodded. "I heard that in past situations, the Avatar's lover's power comes out when they or someone they're close to is in extreme danger. It's almost an instinctual reflex. When they are put in a dangerous situation, their powers begin to surface. Perhaps this is what happened to you when you saw your friend in danger."

Toph averted her eyes for a moment as she kept thinking back to the memory. "I think you're right."

"There's an adrenaline rush that comes when you are in danger. I think that this adrenaline rush is what fueled your powers. We could try reenacting a situation where you're in a significant amount of danger. That way, you can accidently let out your powers and get used to fighting with them. We can practice how to summon them at will later."

Toph nodded in understanding and looked up excitedly. "So? How are we going to do this?"

Kyoshi set her lips in a line as she thought. "I think it'd be better if I wasn't the one to fight you right now. I need to be able to look at you from the outside and gauge your bending. That will be difficult if I'm bending with you at the same time. You're going to need another opponent."

Kyoshi turned her head back towards the rest of the group and locked her eyes on Aang. "Avatar Aang. I think we could use your assistance."

Aang shook his head, slightly shocked from hearing his name, but simply nodded as he walked towards the other two Earth Benders. Standing in front of Kyoshi, a little perturbed at the fact that she was a few inches taller than he was, he asked, "How can I be of service?"

"We're going to need another Earth Bender at the moment seeing as how it would be better for me to observe your friend here if I was simply looking on from the sidelines. Would you mind sparring with Miss Bei Fong for a bit? Seeing as how she's your Sifu, I think it wouldn't be too much of a problem."

Aang smiled. "I don't have a problem with that." He sent his bright smile over in Toph's direction. "I haven't fought earth bender to earth bender with Toph in a while. It should be fun."

"Don't get your hopes up, Twinkle Toes," Toph said sternly. "Don't forget that I taught you everything you know."

Aang laughed. "It's not a matter of how much I know. It's a matter of how I _use_ what I know," he smirked.

Toph rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms. "Cocky, much?"

Kyoshi revealed an amused smile, almost as if she was seeing something that only she could see. "If you two are done with your little banter, we can begin," she said, interrupting the two Earth Benders.

Toph nodded as well as Aang. They both walked in opposite directions and made their way to either end of the large arena. Kyoshi walked off to the sidelines, standing against the wall opposite where everyone else was standing. Toph and Aang turned and faced each other, sliding into their respective stances. Toph turned her head towards Kyoshi when she heard her call out.

"Try to corner her as much as you can," she shouted. She must have been yelling over to Aang.

"Remember, try to recall how it felt last time you were fighting Koh: what thoughts were running through your head, how you were fighting, and anything else you can think of. Try to access your powers again however you can." Toph shifted her feet in concentration as she absorbed what she had just been told.

Neither Aang nor Toph had moved, waiting in their stances for the other person to make a move. Toph pursed her lips in concentration as she focused her vision on Aang, being careful to pick up whenever he decided to attack. She clenched her fists as she thought back to Koh's fight again. All she could remember was that Aang was in danger and she needed to attack Koh in order to make sure he wasn't hurt. She also remembered feeling this strong urge to want to defeat Koh in any way possible. She just wanted to protect herself and her friends. Sure, she felt that she was in danger and she felt that she needed to quickly react. But she thought back to what Kyoshi had told her. Her powers were a defense mechanism. She could only use them when she needed to defend herself and other people. That was how she was able to react the last time. She would have to keep that in mind while she was fighting. Toph took a deep breath and focused on Aang in front her.

Aang attacked first. He started off simple by sending a rock speeding towards her face. Toph extended her fist in front of her and broke the rock as it collided with her fist. She kicked the ground and caused a large crack in the ground to form between Aang's feet. He jumped out of the way and landed to the left. Toph swung her leg out and caused a series of sharp rocks to shoot out towards him at an incredible speed. She felt Aang bring up a rock shield that had crumbled as soon as the rocks she threw made contact. Aang punched both fists forward and had two rock pillars fly towards Toph. She narrowly missed the attack as she rolled to her left and prepared her next attack.

Katara looked on from the sidelines. She leaned on Zuko's shoulder as she brought her head closer to the other two spectators. "Do you think she's actually going to learn all of this so quickly?" she asked.

Zuko shook his head. "Toph is pretty tough. If anyone can pick up something as complex as this in three days, it's her. I have no doubt she'll pull it off."

"Yeah," Sokka agreed. "This is the same girl that figured out metal bending in under an hour of being trapped in a metal box. I'm sure she can handle it. You've got to admit, she's a hardcore fighter," he said, turning everyone's attention to the brutal barrage of boulders she had sent towards Aang. Thankfully Aang had managed to jump out of the way and counter attack before any damage was done on to him.

"I think it's kind of sweet that Aang's helping Toph so much," Suki said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"Look at him. He's helping her train with a smile on his face. He's obviously happy to be doing it. When Toph was unconscious, he wouldn't leave her bedside for that entire week. And even when we're eating or not doing anything at all, the two of them are inseparable. It's painfully obvious how focused he is on helping her," she explained.

"She is a close friend," Zuko offered back. "He could just be helping out."

"Nuh uh," Suki disagreed. "Aang would never go through all of that trouble if it was me in that situation. The fact that he's helping Toph this much is suggesting a bit more, if you know what I mean," Suki grinned, lifting her eyebrows up and down in a suggestive manner.

"Do you really think they care that much about each other?" Katara asked. "Not that I'm disagreeing or anything but…I guess I just didn't expect it."

"Are you kidding me?" Sokka said to his little sister. "Ever since the two of them met, they've always had this silent understanding between the two of them. They get each other in a way that I don't think any of us can match up to. It might have to do with the fact that they're spiritually bound, but it could also be that they're just really good friends." Sokka chuckled at the memory of catching Aang and Toph about to kiss back at Aang's room. "And I think Suki's right. There might be something else going on."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Are we seriously gossiping about the two of them like a bunch of little kids?" he asked.

Katara giggled. "Oh, they can't hear us. Besides, it's not like we're making anything up. Come one, Zuko. You can't deny that they really do care a lot about each other."

He gave a skeptical look towards Katara before he looked up at the two Earth Benders. Zuko smirked when he saw that the two of them had wide smiles on their faces even though they had dirt and sweat all over their clothes. It wasn't the type of smile that two fighters had on their faces. It was a smile between two really good friends. Two friends that enjoyed every moment they spent together. It was terribly obvious that they were closer than they had ever been.

"Okay," Zuko admitted. "Maybe there is something going on." The other three simply laughed as they turned their heads back to the fight.

"Woah, look!" Suki pointed towards the arena and caused everyone to look towards where she was pointing too.

Toph dodged another attack from Aang. She had to admit, he had gotten a lot faster and she was actually putting up an honest effort to block his attacks. She scowled slightly when she remembered what Aang said about how what mattered in a fight was how you used the skills you gained. Still, she was enjoying the workout she was getting to have with him. After a few more kicks and punches, she sent back the same attacks Aang had just thrown at her which caused Aang to put up his defenses and dodge any rocks that were coming near him. Aang punched both of his fists into the ground and lifted them up with quick flick of his wrists. Two thin slabs of earth had lifted from the ground and were sent directly into Toph's direction. She swept her arm to the side and lifted up a stream of earth in order to block the blow.

Toph ran forward again and started to fling whatever she could back at Aang while he threw his fair share of projectiles to collide with hers.

All that could be heard was the sound of rocks crashing against each other and the labored breaths of the two fighters. As she continued her attacks, Toph was all the while trying to figure out how she could harness her bending powers. She had tried to concentrate on the energy that flowed through her whenever she was earth bending and tried to see if she could feel deeper and try to bend the way she did up against Koh. But whenever she tried, she got distracted from a rather powerful attack from Aang. It was highly frustrating that she couldn't seem to get a handle on them. She started wondering whether or not she would even be able to master this in the limited timeframe she was given.

_No, I can't be thinking like that right now_, she thought. _I need to focus and try harder._

Her thoughts were interrupted when Aang had managed to corner her with piles of rubble that had managed to collect over the course of their fight. He lifted his hands and brought up rocks of multiple sizes to surround her, leaving her with no place to escape. Toph cursed at herself for getting so wrapped up in her inner musings that she had forgotten to keep her defenses up while she was fighting. Kyoshi's earlier comment about not watching her surroundings came crashing back into her mind as she realized that Aang had her completely cornered. She heard Suki call out in surprise at Toph's current predicament. Toph scowled as she concentrated on Aang's every move. She had to be careful. One wrong move and she would wind up getting hurt again.

Suddenly, Aang shot his arms forward and sent all of the boulders coming at her from all different directions. Toph shifted her feet as she felt the rocks coming at her full force. She panicked, realizing that she had limited time to react. She knew that if she didn't do something—and quick—she'd wind up being in severe trouble. The rocks kept coming at her at incredible speeds. She remembered the feeling of panic when she saw Aang pinned to the tree by Koh. It was a feeling of being in danger and having limited resources at your disposal. It was a feeling of desperation. She needed a defense tactic, and she needed one quick.

At that moment, she felt some sort of strength traveling though her limbs. It was as if he entire body, which had previously been tired from the exertion, was gaining back some of its lost energy. In fact, she felt completely rejuvenated as more strength was returning to her. It was an amazing feeling and she smiled at the power she felt traveling through her veins. It was an exhilarating feeling that kept growing as the seconds passed. She saw something flash in the corners of each of her eyes as she quickly lifted her arms.

The sudden flash of green that sped across her eyes didn't go unnoticed by everyone watching her. Just before the rocks made their collision, a large wall of earth sprang into the air at an incredible height. Everyone watching, including Aang, had to tilt their heads back just to see the top. The wall had wrapped all the way around Toph as it successfully blocked every single attack that Aang had set up for her. The deafening crashes could be heard all across the arena as the rocks collided with the large wall. Even more amazing, those powerful attacks hadn't even dented the thick wall. Since there was virtually no damage inflicted on the wall that Toph had brought up, it uncurled around Toph and was sent full force towards Aang. Panicking at the size of the wall that was coming straight at him, he had no choice but to jump as far off to the side as he could. He rolled as he landed on the floor and quickly turned himself to face Toph.

As soon as the dust had cleared from the magnitude of the large attack, he was able to see Toph with her hands still raised from the attack she just dealt out. Toph had felt the incredible power that was just fueling her attacks quickly depleting. She lowered her arms in a sluggish manner as all of her energy seemed to be seeping out of her. She took a shaky step forward and raised a hand to her head, feeling a sort of drowsiness overcome her senses. The vibrations she was feeling around her started to get blurry as her concentration started to fade. She remembered feeling like this before when she fought back at the stranded town. Soon, she was no longer able to keep her eyes open as the world around her went dark.

* * *

**Comments? Concerns? Cries of ourage? Tell me in a review please! Thank you, and hoped you enjoyed. **


	17. Third Midnight Conversation

**Chapter 17**

Aang stared down at Toph again, completely unconscious on top of her bed. He was sitting in the same chair in practically the same position he had been when this had happened to her the first time. Ever since the training session downstairs, she had been knocked out for what felt like about three hours. It was already nightfall and she hadn't even stirred. In fact, if she had at least switched sleeping positions, he would have felt a little bit better. But it almost seemed like she would have seemed dead had it not been for the rising and falling of her chest in front of him.

"Is she going to be okay?" Suki muttered behind him in the corner.

"She woke up before," Katara answered, standing next to her. "Who's to say that she can't do it again, right?"

Zuko shook his head. "Yeah, but remember. That took two weeks for her to gain consciousness the last time and we weren't on a schedule. This time is different."

"If she doesn't wake up," Sokka frowned, arms crossed in front of his chest, "then we'll all really be in trouble."

Aang did nothing but sigh as he continued to stare at his unconscious friend. Maybe if he wished hard enough, she'd wake up.

_Look at me, playing the hoping games I used to play when I was a kid and expecting something to happen. _

Aang laughed bitterly. They all may as well have been kids playing a dangerous game with a dangerous adult. That's certainly what it felt like.

Kyoshi stepped away from her place against the wall and walked towards the side of the bed. "Don't worry," she assured. "I expected her to be knocked unconscious again. She's special, but she is still human. You can't handle such great power only after using it twice."

The others around the room lifted their heads as they saw Kyoshi place a hand behind Toph's neck. Kyoshi slightly gripped the sides of Toph's neck with two fingers. Aang straightened his slumped form from the chair and watched intently as he saw Kyoshi grip Toph's neck harder and close her eyes. Toph was visibly relaxing underneath the pressure as her breathing became slower, her muscles relaxed into the sheets underneath her, and even the slight crease in her brow had completely smoothed out. She had stayed like that for only a few moments before her eyes suddenly shot open. Everyone widened their eyes when Toph suddenly sat straight up in an instant, completely awake and alert.

"Ow!" she screamed loudly, gripping the back of her neck with both of her hands, trying to rub away the pain. She cursed silently under her breath again before she looked around the room. "Dammit, what the heck was that!?" she screamed.

Kyoshi chuckled. "I apologize, but we needed to wake you up. You don't exactly have two weeks to recover like you did the last time." Toph faced the direction where she heard Kyoshi's voice coming from and scowled. She let her head hang for a moment as she tried to get her head out of the slight dizziness that was still clouding around it.

"What the hell did you do?" she snapped.

"Nothing too abnormal," the Avatar insisted, "Just a small flame on the back of you're neck. It certainly woke you up didn't it?"

Toph shook her head. "Yeah, and it also nearly killed me. Was it supposed to hurt like that?"

Kyoshi shrugged. "I haven't tried Fire Bending on anybody in centuries. Goodness knows I may have put too much effort into it," she answered, smirking slightly.

Katara sighed in relief and clutched her chest. "Well, thank the Spirits that you're awake, at least."

"Yeah. I thought you were going to stay under for another year or something like that," Suki agreed.

Toph rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you guys act like I was dead two minutes ago."

Aang scowled. _You may as well have been._

Sokka's giant yawn reached the ears of everyone around him. "Well, not that this wasn't fun and everything, but I would just like to point everyone's attention to the fact that it is _pitch black_ _outside!_ I should've been in bed hours ago," he whined.

Zuko slapped the back of his head. "What are you, a four year old? Since when do you have a bed time?"

Sokka winced and stepped away from the Fire Bender. "How do you think I wake up so fun and energetic? I have to keep the comic relief around here. That requires a lot of rest," he insisted.

"I dunno," Toph smiled. "I always thought that being irritating and annoying was something that came naturally whether you slept or not. Because you're certainly doing it right now," she smirked.

"Oh, shove off! You're just jealous," Sokka argued, turning away from her.

"Oh yeah, my envy is burning on the inside," Toph rolled her eyes. "You're just so awesome I can't stand it."

Sokka frowned and stormed out of the room, leaving four laughing teenagers behind him. "I don't have time for your sarcasm. That's my job, first of all. Second of all, I'm going to bed. Good night!" And with that, Sokka left the room, grumbling about little green eyes Earth Benders ripping apart his ego.

"Well, I guess we'd all better head to our rooms as well," Katara announced. "Have a good night Toph," she smiled sweetly. Katara walked outside as Zuko silently followed her out of the room, trailing close behind her as the two of them made their way through the dimly lit hallways.

Suki rolled her eyes. "Those two never unglue themselves from each other's sides. It's kind of funny when you think about it," Suki snickered, causing Toph to laugh with her.

"Oh, I don't think you heard. King Bumi's kind of been missing in action lately…I have no idea. But he invited us to his throne room for breakfast in the morning this time. Maybe he wants to talk to us or something. But don't forget in the morning okay?"

Toph nodded and gave a mock salute. "You've got it. Believe it or not, I kind of miss that nutball's weird little rants. He should be interesting company early in the morning," she chuckled to herself.

Suki looked to the right of Toph and saw Aang still sitting in the corner of the bed, his head down as though he were in thought. Aang slowly lifted his head and sent a stare towards Suki. Her eyes widened when he saw the worried and pained look in his eyes. She tilted her head to the side, showing that she didn't understand. Aang simply shook his head and made a small gesture towards Toph, who was still sitting on the bed. Suki nodded, understanding what he meant. She noticed the fact that he hadn't spoken the entire time they were waiting for Toph to wake up in the room for those three hours. It deeply reminded her of the time when Aang had planted himself next to Toph's bedside for two weeks until she decided to wake up. He was probably still worried. But she understood that he needed time alone with her. Goodness knows, they have a lot to talk about.

"Well, I'll see you later Toph," she smiled. She twisted her body, bowed at the waist as low as she could and came back up to face Kyoshi. "I assume we'll be seeing you tomorrow, then?"

Kyoshi smiled. "Of course. We still have two days to whip this one into shape."

"Then I'll be leaving now, Avatar Kyoshi. Thank you for helping my friend. I deeply appreciate it." Suki silently opened the door to Toph's bedroom and slipped outside into the dark hallways. She looked inside quietly once more before she let the door close behind her and tried to find Sokka in order to cheer up his sour mood.

"I'll be seeing you bright and early in the morning to continue. Make sure that you're well rested," Kyoshi commented.

Toph waved her hand. "Don't worry. I'll be ready. I don't have very many off days. You'll see me in the morning don't worry."

Kyoshi smiled. "Then a good night to you." And then her voice was heard no more.

Toph sighed and plopped backwards onto the bed, letting her back make contact with the sheets. She wriggled into a comfortable position before she pulled off her green headband and flung it across the room into an unknown corner. She still didn't notice the presence of a certain Air Bender that was just about to tell her something before she had laid down to go to sleep. He thought about leaving all of this for tomorrow, but then he thought against it. If he waited until the morning, then the thought that he had in his head right now would not be as concrete and planned out as they were at the moment. He wouldn't know what to say in the morning and it would just start another confusing bought of what he wanted to tell her. It was better if he just came out with it now.

"Toph," he whispered.

He saw her widen her eyes a little a bit and quickly turn towards his voice in a panic. She shook her head a few times before speaking. "Twinkle Toes? Sheesh, you scared me. What are you still doing here? Have you been sitting there the entire time?"

Aang hung his head. "Yeah, just about."

Toph reached over and slapped his arm lightly. "Don't do that. I almost thought you were some sketchy creep that was trying to sneak into my room and try something."

Aang chuckled lightly. "Sorry, I was just worried about you, that's all."

Toph shook her head as she brought her arms up and dropped back down on the bed again, facing the ceiling. "You worry too much. I'm fine, can't you tell. I was just out for a little while."

Aang clenched his teeth and turned his head away from her slightly. "You weren't out for just a little while. You could've been knocked out for another two weeks had Kyoshi not brought you back."

Toph turned her head. "Yeah, but she did."

Aang rolled his eyes at her, gripping the fabric of his pants in frustration. "You know that's not the point."

"No, I don't know that it's not the point," she retorted, furrowing her brows in confusion. "Mind telling what the real point is?"

Aang sighed. "It's just…look, I just don't want you to get hurt, alright?"

Toph scoffed. "Look, it's not like I was beaten to a pulp today or anything. I just knocked out. It's happened before. You've seen it. It isn't that big of a deal."

"It _is_ a big deal!" Aang shouted. Toph's eyes widened at his outburst. She slowly sat up in her bed before he continued on.

"It's a big deal. You getting hurt is a big deal. You being unconscious for hours on end is a big deal. You getting _killed_ is a big deal. You getting dragged into all of this Avatar stuff is a big deal. Everything about this situation that we're all in is a big deal. So stop thinking that you getting hurt is just another little injury you get when you're training on your off days. It isn't the same thing and you need to realize that."

Toph bit her lip at Aang's little speech. She looked to the side and averted her sightless gaze from Aang as she let his words sink in. He saw her clutching the sheets around her and twisting them tightly around her hands, like she was giving herself something to do in the silence that enveloped them. He was gripping the bedside table tightly. He knew this because of the creaking noises that were coming from the table, stressing under the pressure he was putting it under. He sighed as he looked at Toph' guilty face and slowly latched his hand away from the table. He clearly made her uncomfortable when all he was trying to do was make her see. Although, now that he realized, he wasn't even sure if he fully comprehended what exactly it was that he was feeling, or what he was thinking. All he knew was that he had to tell her. And he wasn't doing a very good job to start.

"I'm sorry," he muttered finally.

"No, no. I-It's fine," he heard her stutter. "I guess…I mean…I didn't know that…" He heard her sigh again as he looked up at her again. Her head was hanging and the sheets were still twisted around her hands and fingers in a confusing web of fabric. She clicked her tongue against her teeth a few times before she lifted her head and face him.

"I guess I would've reacted the same way had it been you in this bed I was sitting there next to you worrying myself sick." She laughed as her eyes glazed over with a faraway look. "Spirits know it's happened before," she quietly stated.

Aang tilted his head to the side and stared at her eyes, almost as if she was reminiscing about something. "What do you mean?"

He saw her pat the spot on the bed next to her as she moved over towards the wooden head board. Aang stood on his tired joints, which were aching from sitting in such a position for over three hours, and slowly crawled on the bed facing Toph. She had her back against the head board, her knees up, and her arms neatly folded on top of them. Aang leaned against one of the bed posts at the foot of the bed in order to stretch his acing leg bones. He sat there silently before she continued.

"Remember when you were shot by lightning in Ba Sing Se?"

Aang cringed. Even after all of these years, the scar hadn't completely gone away. Occasionally, he still felt slight jolts of pain shoot through that wound every once in a while. Granted it wasn't as bad as it used to be now that his chakra opened up, but the imprint of that day would stay with him always. And he knew that. Aang said that he remembered. Toph nodded and sighed.

"Well, you were out for a few weeks yourself. It actually felt more like a month than anything else. If not for the fact that you were still breathing, we were prepared to accept the fact that you really had…died," Toph finished, choking out the last word. Aang didn't say a word as he saw his best friend close her eyes tightly as she continued.

"Not many of us went down there. Sokka was too busy manning the ship from the deck. The crew was too busy keeping watch for any Fire Nation ships that may have spotted us by accident. Katara didn't like seeing you that way, all broken up and hurt. She told me a while ago that she couldn't stand to see you so powerless, so she only went downstairs to heal you twice a day. But…I didn't know how to heal, I couldn't command a ship, and me being on the crew was useless since I couldn't keep watch. So I just…stayed down there with you most of the time. Hoping that one day you'd just…I dunno…open your eyes and say 'hey'."

Toph fiddled with the ends of her hair, which was now flowing down to about her mid back since she threw her headband to some unknown part of the room.

"I still talked to you, you know?" she laughed. "I heard that when someone's asleep or close to…well…that they can still hear you even when they're asleep. It used to be nonsense anyway. I just used to spew to you about what was happening on deck, something funny that Sokka said the other day, little things like that. When things on the ship got boring, I started thinking of little stories that I used to read when I was young. They really were idiotic little conversations but, I just wanted to talk to you. Even if I knew that you wouldn't respond. It helped to talk to you. But, I was so scared that one day, you would just stop breathing. Or one day, you wouldn't be there when I went downstairs. The day you woke up, the only reason I was up on deck was because Katara made me. She said spending too much time in that dark room wasn't good for me. Trust me, I know what it's like to be worrying over someone. So…_I'm_ sorry."

Aang shook his head as he let her final words process into his brain. He reached over and tapped her knee and made her look up at him. He smiled and let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"You don't need to apologize. I guess we've both been a little on edge lately, huh?" he chuckled.

Toph smiled and scratched the back of her head. "I guess. But I really am…sorry that I worried you so much. This is all just getting to be a bit much."

"You're handling it fine. Most people would've lost their minds by now." Aang sighed as he laid down across the bed, letting his feet hang over the edge. "Besides, I wouldn't let you go insane anyway."

Toph snorted. "And how on earth did you expect to accomplish that?"

Aang shrugged and grinned. "I dunno. Didn't you say that I was good company?" he replied smugly. "I'd find a way to occupy you."

Toph smirked. "Pervert."

Aang shot up with his mouth hanging open. "What!? I didn't say anything bad!"

"'I'd find a way to occupy you,'" she mocked, using a bad impression of Aang's voice. "That sounds suspicious. Not to mention a little creepy."

Aang scowled and turned his head away from her. "Thanks for twisting my words. I'm glad to know where you're mind is."

Toph rolled her eyes and laughed lightly. "Oh, come on. I'm kidding." She leaned over and flicked him on his head. "It's hard not to poke a little fun at you."

Aang swatted her hand away right after she flicked him, laughing and smiling for the first time since he stepped foot into her room that day. Toph smiled when she saw him laughing and started to join him as well. She wiped a tear away from her eye as she tried to gain her voice back. "See? I like you better when you're not moping around all over the place."

Aang's laughter died down as he lay across the bed again, calming his breathing as Toph settled herself into the pillows by the headboard again. "What happened?"

Aang turned his head towards her. "What do you mean?"

"What happened to this? I mean we used to laugh like this back when we were twelve, riding on Appa, not a care in the world. Then you get sucked into your Avatar stuff, I'm forced back home, our love lives get ripped apart and we turn into the things we never wanted to be: miserable people. Now with all of this drama going on we can't find a time to relax." Toph let out a loud laugh. "Except for now, right? In the middle of the night while everyone else is asleep. We can finally let all doubts and worries just melt away and relax. I like it though. It's nice. For once, I don't have to worry about the morning. I can just focus on the two of us. Because lately, that's really the only thing that's of any real comfort anymore."

Aang frowned in the dim light of the room. "What about the others? Katara, Suki, Zuko, Sokka…aren't they your friends too?"

"Of course they are," Toph clarified. "Don't get me wrong, I love all of them. But…I guess I just feel like I can talk to you more. Even more than Katara or Suki. I don't know why. You're the only person that can completely put me at ease anymore." She stopped and looked away from his gaze. "I don't know what I'd do without you," she whispered.

Aang lifted himself up from the bed and crawled over to his best friend. She kept her head turned away as she faced the oil lamps that were lit around the room. Aang slowly reached over and grabbed Toph's chin. Toph froze when she felt the gesture. The pads of his fingers were rough, as to be expected since he was also an Earth Bender. His hands slowly turned her face so that her eyes were looking straight at his. Aang stared deep into her clouded over irises, which he imagined would've been an emerald green had she not been blinded. He stared deeper and saw her fear, her apprehension, and also her curiosity. He licked his lips as he ran over his words and tried to piece together exactly what he was going to say next. He let his hand fall and sat in front of her, so that their faces were only six inches away.

"I've never known how to explain this to you before, but," he paused for a moment. He sighed before continuing. "I knew from the moment I saw in your parents house for the first time that you needed someone to teach you what it's like to have hope, and freedom, and a chance to be who you wanted to be. And I know you probably thought I was stalking you when I followed you to your house but…I saw you. In the Earth Rumble tournament. I saw who you were, who you wanted to be, and what was burning in your soul. And then I saw you being led into the dining room by your father and I thought…this isn't her. She needed more than this. She needed to get out of here. So that's why I didn't hesitate to let you come with us." Aang turned his head away, "Even if we did start off rough, that was probably the best decision I've ever made."

Toph turned her head away, her cheeks burning in embarrassment. "Come on. I-I'm pretty s-sure you're exaggerating," she said, stumbling over her words.

Aang shook his head. "I'm not. I swear. I'm not. I just…the reason I'm always worrying over you…the reason I'm always wondering what's happening to you is not because I'm some overprotective creep. I…care too much about to just not as much as I do. I can't help it. I swore to myself when I talked to Roku for the first time that I would never let anything happen to you. And I meant it. You're a precious person to me, Toph, whether you want to realize it or not."

Toph was facing him again, the blush across her cheeks becoming easier and easier to see despite the dim lighting. She sat there, absorbing everything that he had told her. She was precious. She was special. She couldn't believe it.

She felt like a blushing school girl trying to give treats to a boy she liked, or a young woman being courted for the first time. It was all so embarrassing, yet so incredibly sweet. Normally she would've shunned away such feminine behavior, but she couldn't bear to stop him from what he was saying.

She stared down in her lap. "No one's ever said that to me before," she laughed bitterly. "I don't think even my parents have said something like that." She paused and looked up at him. "Thank you."

Aang smiled at her. "You don't need to thank me. It's the truth."

Toph let her knees down so that she crossed them in front of her, just as Aang had done as well. She lifted her gaze towards Aang, feeling his gaze on her as well.

"I have to say," she spoke quietly. "I don't think I've had anyone care for me as much as you do. I mean, sure. People have done what they had to do for me out of obligation. But, getting me out my house, giving me a chance to know what the world looked like, and just treating me like a normal human being…I can't thank you enough for that."

Aang chuckled. "You make it sound like community service. I did it because I wanted to, not because I was going to be getting anything in return. Even if you weren't an Earth Bender, I still would have helped you." He smiled.

Toph fiddled with the edges of her blankets and took a deep breath. "Aang?"

Aang lifted his head. "Hm?"

Aang felt her hands grab his collar tightly. His eyes widened when he realized that she was trying to keep him from walking away. He saw her lean in closer to his face until he could feel her even breathing on the tip of his nose. Her eyes were concentrated, serious, and determined. He panicked when he realized that they were probably two inches apart. But he didn't pull away. He had a feeling that told him to stay…to not do anything to mess up this moment. Aang slowly lifted his hand and brought a hand to the side of her cheek. Toph licked her lips as an afterthought before she gently pressed her lips against his.

Aang had kissed a girl before. More than one to be exact. Even before Katara, he had met a few Fire Nation girls that he had liked a little bit. But it was very innocent. Almost unintentional and he kind of didn't know what he was doing. Even when he was twelve, it didn't seem as if he completely knew what he was doing. It felt awkward, forced, and almost as if he was pretending that he truly had deeper feelings for the person in front of him.

But now…this may as well have been a first kiss. A first _real_ kiss anyway. It was a very simple kiss. It wasn't carnal, but it wasn't a half-effort. It wasn't overly passionate, but it wasn't dull. It was exactly what he hoped a kiss with Toph would be: beautiful, warming, and completely right.

Her grip on his collar was trembling. She didn't know what came over her or what made her go on and kiss him like that, but she was glad she did it. Her first kiss with Aang…and it was really nice. From the stories she heard from her mother and from her older friends, they made it sound as if it was some hot, sweaty, nightmare that could easily go one of two ways in a blink of an eye. But she pushed all of that aside. She felt her cheeks heating up, her lips met with his over and over again with enthusiasm, and she smiled into the kiss every time they met again.

Since it was obvious they were both running out of air, Aang pulled away slowly, seeing Toph with a blush tinting her face and her eyes still closed. She opened them and he was met with shocked, but strangely happy eyes. Aang smiled as he looked down, averting his gaze for a moment. "What was that for?"

Toph, still dazed a bit from the kiss, shook her head slightly before answering. "I don't know. I'm sorry."

Aang laughed. "Idiot. Why are you apologizing?"

Toph chuckled as she looked at him again. "I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing around you anymore. Haven't you noticed that whenever we're alone like this things change."

Aang tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I never feel unsure of myself when I'm hanging around everyone else, when I'm bending, or when I'm just acting like Toph. But...I dunno." She turned away to collect her thoughts before facing him again. "I don't know how to explain it. I mean look at me! I'm acting like a complete idiot in front of you, I didn't pound you for calling me an idiot before, and I just don't know what's swimming through my head whenever you're next to me. You have no idea how confusing it is to think and speak coherently around you."

Aang smiled self-confidently. "So you're nervous around me?"

Toph rolled her eyes. "Don't get too confident. That's not what I'm saying. It's just...you make it hard for things to be black and white like they normally are. You are an extreme grey area. I don't know what to think of you anymore. You're a lot of things that I don't know how to explain," she finished lamely.

Aang nodded and grabbed both of her hands and squeezed them together. "Look at me."

Toph snorted. "Haha. You're funny."

"Really."

Toph relented and lifted her head to face him. Just like the first time they almost kissed, he felt his rough, yet comforting hands brush away the bangs that were getting in her face more than usual thanks to the fact that her hair was let loose out of her headband. She let her shoulders relax as she waited for Aang to say something. She heard him sigh once more and scratch lightly behind his head. She smiled slightly when she noticed that he was feeling conflicted like she was only moments ago. She felt both of his hands wqrap around hers this time before he spoke to her in a quiet voice.

"Can you promise me something?"

Toph's eyes widened in curiosity. "Of course."

"I know that things are getting confusing all of a sudden. If I had to be honest, I don't know what I'm doing either. If you asked me right now what you were to me...I can't even answer. You're a friend, a precious friend that I can't imagine living without. No..." he paused. "You're _more_ than a friend. But I don't know what that _"more"_ part is. I can't explain it myself. But I just want you to promise me one thing: I don't want to change anything. I like talking to you, I like laughing and joking around with you, and I like fighting with you on those _ever so_rare occasions." Toph laughed at that.

"I know you're confused. But...can you try your best to still remember the twelve year old Aang that you met for the first time?"

Toph smiled. "Only if you remember the twelve year old Toph that whipped you into shape." She held out her hand for him to shake. "Deal?"

Aang leaned in and pressed a quick kiss on her lips instead. "Deal."

Toph shook her head quickly to rip herself from shock before nodding. "What was that for?"

Aang shrugged. "Because you were open."

Toph rolled her eyes and nudged him lightly. "You're such a dork."

Aang rolled his eyes as he let go of her hands and fixed his sitting position. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

Aang didn't quite remember the rest of the night. All he knew was that at some point, they were laying nest to eachother on Toph's bed, the oil lamps just about to go out, talking about nothing. He didn't remember what exactly the nonsense was that they were talking about, but it honestly wasn't all that important. It was just nonsense between friends. He supposed at first that if he decided to pull something dangerous and risky, that it would make everything all the more awkward between them. But somehow, it didn't seem as if their dynamic was affected at all. He still found it incredibly easy to be silly, to be ridiculous, and to just be two close people sharing a moment of quiet time. Between Toph's training and the stress of tyring to figure out what exactly they were all going to do about this rogue spirit, it didn't seem as if Toph and Aang had any time to themselves except for these rare alone times that they had together. And even though he knew that things may have gotten a little bit more confusing in terms of what their relationship could actualy be labeled, it didn't damage the content. Sure it would take a lot of figuring out, but at least they remained a unit.

Aang didn't know how many hours had gone by before he started to see Toph's eyes droop closed. He saw her dozing off slightly and heard her responses get a little more slurred and muddled. "You should get to sleep."

"No, I'm fine," she mumbled into the sheets next to her. "I'm listening, don't worry."

"No, you're tired and it's showing. Come on, we've stayed up too late. Kyoshi is going to work you hard in the morning," he reminded her.

Toph grumbled into the sheets again, flipping completely on her stomach. "Ugh. Don't remind me."

Aang slipped out of the bed, feeling slightly groggy and sleepy himself and started to make his way towards the door. "G'night Toph. Don't fall out of the bed okay?"

Aang reached for the doorknob and was about to twist it open before he heard Toph call out his name and catch his attention.

He turned quickly and saw her still sitting in the same position she was on not even a few moments ago. He saw her bite her lip and scratch the back of her head, looking pensive and unsure. She pushed her long hair out of the way of her fidgeting hands as she lifted her eyes in his direction and gave him a small smile.

"Thanks again, Twinkle Toes."

He smiled again at her and waved before he left the room.

"Wait."

Aang turned his head again and faced her again. "What is it?"

"I really do mean it. Thanks for being there. I appreciate every thing. And I know you said that you did because you wanted to but...what you did for me was something only a really special person could do. So thank you. I really want you to know that I'm grateful."

Aang smiled and silently closd the door behind him, leaving Toph alone in the room by herself. Once Toph was sure that she couldn't hear Aang's footsteps traveling down the hallway anymore, she brought her fingers up to her lips, still tingling from the kiss. She smiled to herself. It was so strange how he could make her forget about the entire day in a matter of a few minutes. She fixed up her bed before she settled into her sheets that night.

She spent the rest of the night trying to figure out what exactly it was she felt towards her Earth Bending student now.

* * *

**EDIT: I know what happened. Document Manager cut off ahuge portion of the story, or rather it didn't save the last few things I typed in. That's why it seemed wierd while I was reading it. Sorry about that. It should seem a little better now and not end as abruptly as it did. **

**By the way, I just noticed something. I've got three billion stroy alerts and story favs, yet only a couple of people review each time. For you little peepers that come, read, and run, pleae take three seconds to sign in, leave two words of comfort, and then leave. It'll make me happy and it'll only take up a moment of your time. Thank you. **

_A/N: Rushed in my opinion and I'm not too happy about it...but that could just be me. By the way, these little "interludes" I guess you could call them are meant to be a tad shorter than the actual chapters. So if it seems shorter (which I think it is), it's supposed to be. _

_Reviews. Reviews. Reviews. Reviews. Reviews. Reviews. Reviews. Reviews. Reviews. Reviews. Reviews. Reviews. Reviews. _

_Have I said it enough times? I hope so. Tell me what you think. _

_Also...don't flame please. It's not a situation in which either of us wins. It makes you upset and makes me upset. So how about we save eachother the trouble? If you don't like the story, just click the 'X' button on your web browser. _


	18. Day Two of Training I

**A/N: Phew! Finally came back form vacation. And that means I officially have nothing to do for the whole summer which means...lightning speed updates. I told you all I'd finish this...thing!...this summer and I will. **

**On another note...thank you all so much for all the reviews! I've never gotten so many alerts, reviews, and favs for just one chapter. I really appreciate it. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right ^.^;**

**Here's the next chapter. **

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Aang found it extremely difficult to wake up the next morning.

His head was underneath the covers, lying completely spread out all over his bed. He slowly started moving each of his limbs to check that they were all still there since it felt like everything about him was numb. Aang shook his head as he willed his arms and legs to pull him up into a sitting position, all the while trying desperately trying to crack his eyes open just a little bit. His joints were locked, it felt as though there were bunches of cotton stuffed down his throat, and his mind was still half asleep.

He had never felt this tired before. Okay, that was a lie. But he certainly hadn't woken up feeling like this in a very long time. He was usually very energetic in the mornings, always the first one to wake up.

Now he felt terrible. He sort of understood that, though. He sat straight up in a chair for hours the night before, his eyes fixated on Toph, not to mention he had to take into account how much he was worrying over her. That probably tired him down even more. After all, that seemed to be all he has been doing lately so it only made sense that it would take a toll on him eventually. And to top it all off, he had stayed up so late last night with Toph and they even—

_Oh, right._

He secretly blushed under his covers. He kissed Toph. Well, technically she kissed him first, but he actually kissed her _back_, something he never thought he would have the nerve to do…ever. How could he forget? It was also the reason why he couldn't fall asleep for two more hours after he entered his room. Not to mention that he was re-experiencing last night in his dreams over and over again. He kept waking up, pacing his room, letting his mind race and wander, reading to tire his mind out, and plopping down onto his bed again. Then, that process would only repeat itself an endless number of times throughout the night. That was enough to make anyone tired and disoriented the next morning, he supposed.

As soon as he reluctantly lifted one of his lids, he was bombarded with a flood of bright sunlight. Aang rubbed his eyes. That was weird. You would think it was the middle of the day with the amount of light that was flooding in through the windows, considering that the drapes were still half-way closed, just as he had left them last night. His eyes must not have adjusted to the morning rays yet. Yes, that had to be it. There was no way he would sleep until the afternoon.

But as soon as Aang had jumped out of his bed to look outside, he saw the sun was nearly in the middle of the sky.

Aang blinked. _How in the world did I sleep until noon? That's something Toph would do, not me._

He must have _really_ been tired.

He muttered under his breath. He probably had already missed breakfast and it was no use going into the kitchens to go and get some food. Sokka had made sure that all guests were banned from the kitchens thanks to his numerous escapades into the cupboards. In fact, Bumi had made Sokka go out with some of the maids just so that he could go and restock their inventory. And what was worse, the money for all of that food came right out of the Water Tribe warrior's pockets. Needless to say, Sokka had painfully learned his lesson and had dutifully apologized, but that didn't lift the kitchen restrictions from everyone else.

So since food was out of the question, he figured he was better off finding the others. Maybe they went and snuck into one of Toph's training sessions. Aang had to admit they certainly were entertaining and interesting, and to be honest they really didn't have anything else to keep them occupied after all.

It only took him a few minutes before Aang was dressed and walking down the hallways of King Bumi's palace. He looked on either side of him, eyeing the doors that seemed to be wide open and filled with servants and maids that were cleaning them and fixing them up to perfection. He looked behind him and saw that three women had already rushed into his room in record time, determined to make it immaculate when he returned to it later. Sometimes he wondered how Bumi got his servants and maids to be so on top of their jobs. Bumi didn't seem like the strict type of King. In fact, he was the most laid back non-regal person that ever had the pleasure of taking the throne. If not for his battle tactics and exceptional earth bending skills, he wondered how in the world a person like Bumi made it on the throne in the first place.

_Speaking of Bumi, where has he been lately?_ Aang wondered.

Everyone saw Bumi at meals whenever they rolled along, but other than that, it seemed like he was always busy. That was to be expected, he thought. He _was_ the king. But it seemed like he was always in tune with what was happening to his best friend and all of his other companions. Aang thought that he would be prodding them with questions every moment he got. Aang shrugged it off. He would never understand Bumi anyway. Best to leave him and his odd behavior alone.

Clearly knowing the way well by now, Aang had reached the balcony of the underground arena without much effort at all. He swore that he had heard some crashing noises down in the arena, but he wasn't surprised. Toph did say that she and Kyoshi were going to be training starting early in the morning. He thought that was best. The idea of talking to Toph right now was scaring him. Despite how confident he looked last night, he was scared and preoccupied as to how he was even going to form a coherent sentence around her now. He felt twelve years old all over again.

Aang walked over to the balcony and discreetly peeked over the edge. He immediately saw Toph on the left side of the arena, her eyes closed and her face set in deep concentration. She was standing tall keeping her hands at her sides. He watched curiously as he heard Kyoshi barking orders at her from across the arena. She kept telling her to concentrate, breathe, and to find her center of energy. Toph didn't seem to be paying attention to her words much, probably because Kyoshi had been yelling this at her for hours and she already knew what she had to do. In a split second, Toph opened her eyes again, but this time they were that bright green that came along with her defensive bending. He saw her run full throttle over to Kyoshi. Her arms were raised and she managed to bring up a gigantic boulder, similar to the size that she had pelted him with yesterday. She brought her arms forward, attempting to throw it in Kyoshi's direction. The boulder lifted itself slightly off of the ground as if it were ready to be propelled forward. But instead, the boulder lost its momentum and landed with a loud crash onto the ground next to Toph. It was then that the green glow disappeared from Toph's eyes as she collapsed on the ground and landed on her hands and knees, desperately panting for breath with sweat dripping down her brow.

"How…can throwing…a dumb rock….take so…much work…?" Toph gasped out in between breaths.

Kyoshi smirked as she walked back toward Toph, kneeling down next to her. "That's a lot of energy for you to be channeling. Naturally, it would tire any one out."

"But…Twinkle Toes…never passed out from his…Avatar State. How come I'm having so much trouble with it?" she asked, still trying to bring air into her lungs.

"The Avatar's body naturally built to withstand energy such as this. Remember, they're expected to have a master on all four of the elements. Your body is only accustomed to bending one element. It's going to take you longer to get a handle on it. Imagine a non-bender having this much power coursing through them? It'd be enough to kill them." She got up and brushed her hands on her uniform. "Now come on. Try again."

Toph reluctantly got up to her feet as she took in more deep breaths and made her way over to the other side of the arena, resuming the breathing she had been doing before. Aang smirked as he saw her return to her meditative stance; concentration and determination were clear on her features. He leaned against the edge of the balcony unnoticed as he watched go through the drill again.

"She's gotten a lot better, eh?"

Aang quickly shot his body in a complete one-eighty spin as he faced the voice that had all of a sudden spoken up next to him. There was no one up here with him, was there? He could've sworn that he was up here all by himself. But sure enough, none other than King Bumi was sitting there on the balcony, with his feet hanging off the edge and his eccentric robes hanging next to him. Aang grabbed at his chest to calm his beating heart as he walked over to his friend.

"Bumi, you scared me," Aang whispered harshly.

Bumi's eyebrows lifted up into his hairline. "Really? I didn't think you wouldn't see me. People tell me they can see from three miles away," he laughed, the feathers on his crown bobbing up and down as his body shook.

Aang shook his head. "What are you doing here?"

"What? I can't watch your pretty little friend train? It is my place. I figured I'd get my own front row seat since your friends stole the only other good ones." Bumi pointed his finger down towards the northern end of the arena and sure enough, Aang was able to see Katara, Zuko, Suki, and Sokka cheering her on from the sidelines. Whenever Toph came close to flinging the rock across the arena, but only managed to drop it next to her, groans of frustration and cheers of encouragement kept coming from the sidelines. Even though it was mostly Katara and Sokka doing the yelling, Suki and Zuko still offered their milder versions of support.

"Wow, everyone's here," Aang muttered to himself.

"She told me everything this morning, your little friend," Bumi spoke, not hearing Aang's hushed remark. Aang's eyes widened with interest as he faced the King again. That's right. He had practically been missing out on the action lately. He didn't even think to find him and tell him what was going on. There had been so much going on.

"She filled me on what exactly was going with you young people," he continued. "I've got to say, I didn't expect an Avatar Spirit to come back and train your friend. That was a shock. But from what I hear, she's doing a lot better. Heard that she used to pass out whenever she trained. At least now, she's staying conscious."

Aang nodded. It was true. It amazed him that she was able to harness her bending powers without completely passing out due to exhaustion. Granted, she was still pretty winded from only doing one earth bending move, but at least she was able to stay alert and could keep trying and trying afterwards. "How long has she been up?" he asked, more to himself.

"I'd say since before the sun came up. I walked in and saw her throwing a bunch of rocks around before she filled me in. The rest of your friends came after. They were about to go get you, but the earth bending girl told me that you were probably very tired. She said she kept you up last night with her talking."

Aang turned away from Bumi and continued to watch Toph's efforts, simply nodding in agreement with what Bumi said. He didn't trust himself to say anything. After all, before they stood up all night talking, something else had happened. _Something_ that he was sure Bumi would pick up on after hearing Aang stutter and stumble over his words once he started to think about what exactly that _something_ was.

So he kept his mouth shut, hoping that the conversation would end there…

"Of course, I don't think that's all that happened, am I right?" he chuckled, nudging Aang with is elbow.

…oh well.

"N-Nothing much happened," Aang forced out. "We just…talked a lot lost night. Um…nothing else," Aang insisted.

"I don't need to be your little girlfriend to tell you're lying to me, Aang," he teased. "Spirits know I've known you long enough," he laughed.

Aang sighed. "It really wasn't anything to worry about. Nothing interesting happened."

Bumi let a devilish smile twist its way onto his face. "Are you sure you two didn't get 'up-close-and-personal'?"

Aang whirled around in surprise. "How did you know that?" he said, trying his hardest not to yell.

Bumi looked shocked. "I didn't. But your reaction must mean that I was right anyway." He laughed again as Aang turned away, his ears heating up in embarrassment.

"Ah, the joys of young love. I remember it once myself. Of course they were under more…normal circumstances…you know without the Avatar training and the ancient spirits running around…but it was just as embarrassing and awkward for me as it for you right now," he finished with a laugh.

Aang shook his head. Toph may have been right when he told him that Bumi sometimes knows too much.

"I don't know," Aang spoke suddenly. "I feel like I shouldn't have done that to her. I mean, she has enough to deal with right now with all of this. But now she has to sort out everything that I said to her last night. I mean, I _kissed_ her. It's confusing me and I'm pretty sure it's confusing her too. I shouldn't have done that to her. I probably have her worried right now."

"Or gave her some resolve."

"Hm?" Aang questioned.

Bumi faced forward, his face growing serious. "That girl is a strong one. Always wanted to take care of herself, confident, and has got quite the sharp tongue if I do say so myself. But she insists that she can take care of herself and that everything will be alright if she puts on a stone façade. But something about you messes with her. She likes getting help from you, she likes that you worry about her, and she likes that you care. And the fact that you made your feelings clear last night must have given her that final boost to train harder and fix everything that's gone wrong. I don't doubt for one second that the reason she excelled so much since yesterday is because of what you said to her. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee it," Bumi smiled.

Bumi let out a chuckle. "I mean look at her. She's got all of that spit fire attitude to back her up, but I think you helped fuel the fire. She's practically unstoppable now."

Aang turned his head just in time to see Toph fling the boulder that she had brought up from the ground about three yards in Kyoshi's direction. Granted, it didn't look like that far a distance at all, but the smile on Toph's face was priceless. She had gotten somewhere, and everyone saw it. Kyoshi gave her an approving nod while Katara jumped over to her and embraced her, telling her what a good job she was doing. Sokka jumped over just as enthusiastically and was spewing over exaggerated compliments her way. The eccentric behavior of the two water tribe members seemed to be genetic, Aang noticed. Suki and Zuko came over and patted her on the shoulder, telling her a job well done.

_Wow_, Aang thought. _Did I really encourage her that much?_

Aang felt a hard pat on his back which caused him to lurch forward a few inches.

"What are you doing? Cupid Bumi is telling you to get yourself down there. Don't let my hard work go to waste! Haha!"

Aang smiled. It amazed him how Bumi could be so serious one second and then revert to his goofy and somewhat crazed version of himself so quickly. Aang laughed to himself before he hopped on the ledge of the balcony and landed softly on the ground underneath him. He'd have to remember to thank Bumi later after this mess was over. He'd never thought he'd say this, but Bumi was really good when it came to relationships. He wondered how on Earth he did it. It was almost as if he had a sixth sense for such things. Aang shook it off as he walked over to Toph who was still getting hugged to death by Katara.

"Oh, I can't believe it. You're getting so _good_!" Katara squealed.

Toph's face was starting to take on a bluish tint. "Alright…Sugar Queen, I get it your proud of me, but let me go. Seriously, all I did was move a rock. It's not that big a deal."

Katara's face fell as she let Toph go. "Oh, but you improved so much from yesterday. To think you've only been at for one day. I'm so excited," she gushed.

"What is with this woman and her motherly hormones?" Toph questioned towards Sokka.

Sokka shrugged. "I don't know about the whole mother thing. But _you_…were so cool! I mean did you see the way you brought that rock up from the ground and flung it? I mean come on. That was pretty epic!" Sokka shouted. Toph rolled her eyes and turned away from her over enthusiastic friends.

"Is it just me or are they totally over-reacting?" Toph asked.

"Just a little bit," Zuko agreed. "But they are right: you're getting a lot better.

"Yeah, I mean we can't help but congratulate you a little bit now and then. Granted _some _people need to calm down some…" She directed that last part of her sentence at the two water tribe members who were still gushing over the boulder a few feet away. "…but you do deserve it."

Toph shrugged. "Sure, whatever you guys say."

Kyoshi walked over to them, passing the two siblings while casting them a wary and confused glance. "Not terrible, if I do say so myself. Although you could still use a little bit more practice," she insisted.

Toph waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'm still not high and mighty yet. Go to tell that to the two bumbling idiots over there."

"Why don't you all go and get something to eat? After all, you all skipped breakfast to come here. Maybe after you've eaten you'll gain some of your energy back. Come back in about two hours and we'll start again," she finished. With that, she disappeared in front of them, leaving them by themselves.

Katara frowned. "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot how hungry I was. Do you think it's lunch time yet?"

"I doubt it," Zuko replied. "It's still pretty early for lunch, but I'm sure we could convince King Bumi to get us something to eat."

"Well we could've gone into the kitchens before to get something it _someone_ hadn't ruined it for us all," Suki spoke, glaring at Sokka.

"Hey, I apologized," he insisted.

Toph shrugged. "Apologize all you want. Doesn't stop the fact that we're all still banned from going into the kitchen." Sokka narrowed his eyes at her and turned away, clearly forgetting that he had just been fawning over her bending skills not even a minute ago.

"Oh, wait!" Katara exclaimed. "I totally forgot. Aang's still asleep. We'd better go and get someone to wake him up before he misses another meal."

"No worries. I'm up."

Everyone turned and saw the Air Bender wide awake and walking over to them with a smile on his face.

He brought his arm up and started stretching one of his shoulders. "Sorry, I guess I was really tired yesterday."

"Nah, don't worry," Sokka reassured. "You've been stressing your arrow off ever since we got here. I was starting to think you were going a little crazy," he teased.

Aang shrugged nervously. "Sorry." He let his eyes stray for a moment and let them focus on Toph. Even though she wouldn't have been able to see him staring, she seemed to have been making sure that her eyes were staring at the ground and not anywhere else should their gazes meet accidently. Aang felt somewhat relieved. At least he wasn't the only one who was still a little nervous, though there was still a sense of awkwardness between them that prevented them from even staring at each other.

"Are you sure you're okay," Katara asked.

Aang chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just needed a few hours of sleep is all. Really, I feel great." Katara shrugged and smiled.

"Well, if you're sure," she told him.

"You worry too much, Katara," Sokka laughed. "Honestly, Aang said he was fine, so he's fine."

"I know he's fine I was just making sure."

"But if he already told you he was fine why do you need to make sure?"

"Because I need to."

"No, it's because you keep insisting that you need to when you really don't."

"Oh, stop it."

Suki rolled her eyes. "I swear. You two are exhausting to be around sometimes."

Aang shrugged. "It could be worse, I suppose."

Suki sighed. "Well, I think now is as good a time as any to get going," she said, making her way to the exit. "I don't know how much longer I can last without something to eat."

"I'm with Suki," Zuko agreed. He grabbed Katara gently by the wrist and pulled her away to the exit, following Suki. She looked like she was trying to mumble a protest to the way he was holding her, but all she was able to do was blush, stutter, and look away from everyone else. Aang laughed. The two of them being so close really didn't seem to bother him as much as it used to.

"Wait, hold on a second. I'm coming too," Sokka whined, running after everyone else. Suddenly, he stopped and quickly turned around to face Aang. "Aren't you two coming?"

Aang shook his head. "We'll be there in a second."

Sokka switched his gaze over from Aang to Toph and noticed that neither of them were making any eye contact with each other. Sokka smirked, already knowing what was going on based on the all-too-obvious signs. "Alright, I get it. I'll leave you two alone," he grinned, following the rest of the group out and leaving Toph and Aang alone in the large arena.

Aang turned himself to face Toph only to find her only half a foot away from his face. Aang's eyes widened as he gulped loudly, blood flowing to his cheeks and his ears. Toph's face was blank as she stared blindly into his eyes, tipping her head up slightly to make up for the slight height difference. Aang had stood there with Toph staring at him intently for who knew how long. It felt like hours, but the strange thing was that neither of them was compelled to say anything. If Toph was trying to make a point or get something across, he was at a loss as to what it was.

Toph tilted her face to the side as she placed her hand on his chest, right over where his heart would have been. Her nose crinkled slightly and her brows furrowed up. She pressed down on his chest harder, making Aang's heart beat speed up from nervousness. He waited there with her hand on his chest until his breathing and his heart and slowed down to a considerable speed.

Finally she spoke. "If I asked you something personal, would you answer?"

Aang looked confused for a moment before answering. "Depends on what you want to ask me."

Toph looked down as she clicked her tongue against her teeth, mulling over exactly what she wanted to say. She tightened her grip on Aang's shirt, having trouble forming her words. Aang patiently waited while she took a deep breath and looked up at him again.

"We're getting out of this…right? This is all going to be over soon, isn't it?"

Aang looked down at her carefully before he nodded. "Of course. I don't see why we can't get through this. All of us are on your side. This is going to be fixed. Is that what you're worried about?"

Toph shook her head. "No," she muttered. "It's not that."

Aang tilted his head, waiting for another response.

She breathed out deeply. "What are you…going to do once we leave?"

Aang didn't put too much thought into his next answer. He was rather uncomfortable with the tense conversation that he blurted out the first answer he could think of. "I'm…I don't know yet."

"Liar."

He felt her tap her fingers against his chest. So that's what she had been doing. She must have been making sure that she was only getting truthful answers out of him. She was waiting for him to give out a steady heartbeat that she could gauge once she started interrogating him. Aang pursed his lips. He had to be careful what he had to say. He didn't want to lie to her and make her feel like he was purposefully hiding something or anything. He clenched his fists and let out a huge breath.

"I was thinking of going back to Ba Sing Se. The King Kuei had said that he wanted to catch up and he could use my help with some formal stuff. You know, negotiations, laws, meetings, things like that."

"How long are you going to stay?" she practically whispered.

"Well, Kuei said for a little over a year," he answered her.

"Oh," she said simply, as if she was strangely unsatisfied with his truthful answer.

Aang lifted her chin. "Is there something wrong?"

Toph shook her head, escaping Aang's grip. "No, nothing. I'm just acting stupid again." She hugged her torso as she looked to the left. "Forget it."

Aang reached for her shoulder, but she quickly escaped his reach by sidestepping around him. Almost immediately, she looked up at him with another one of her trademark smirks and a mischievous glint in her eye. Aang blinked at her sudden change in attitude before he flinched and grabbed his arm in pain. Toph laughed as she pulled her fist away from him and casually brushing her knuckles against her shirt.

"Nothing you need to worry your head about Twinkle Toes. I'm just tired. You wouldn't believe the time I had to get up just to learn all that today," she grimaced. She started walking towards the exit, but stopped after three steps to look back at him.

"Hey. Aren't you coming? You haven't eaten in hours. You have to be starving," she called out to him.

Aang shook his head and nodded. "Yeah, hold on. I'm coming."

They started walking in step with each other as they traveled through various doors and hallways, already used to the labyrinth that seemed to be Bumi's palace. Aang laughed silently to himself when he saw that Toph took two steps every time he took one long stride. To think that that the girl that used to bully him when he was twelve would turn out to be at least six inches shorter than him in the future. Not to mention that she was still able to force him into a chokehold if given the motivation. Aang chuckled out loud because it all of a sudden seemed too funny to him. Toph heard him and gave him a strange look.

"What's so funny?" she asked with a smirk.

"Nothing," he grinned, "just thinking to myself.

Toph rolled her eyes. "You're weird."

"Ah ha, but who said _you_ were normal?" he pointed out.

Toph laughed as she shook her head. "Yeah, yeah. Sure. Touché."

Aang looked warily down at her as she continued laughing. She didn't seem to be upset, in fact she was acting as if nothing was wrong in the first place. Aang scowled as he thought back to what she was saying back at the arena.

_What was she trying to tell me?_

There was a low murmur coming from the doorway ahead and Aang was sure that heard a loud laugh some from Sokka. Aang was about to reach for the handle to the dining room before a hand stopped him. Aang turned and saw Toph staring at him and grabbing his wrist.

"Aang?"

"Yes?" he said, turning to face him. His eyes widened and his heart beat quickened when he felt Toph place a quick kiss on his lips. She stepped back slowly and smiled at him.

"Thanks for last night by the way."

* * *

Toph collapsed on the floor for the umpteenth time that day.

"Ugh!" She slammed her fists on the ground as she lay on her back, sending a slight tremor through the ground around and caused everyone around to lose their footing. Toph's bun had fallen out somewhere during the course of her practicing and she grappled next to her for her headband. She sat up and furiously yanked her sweaty, dirty hair into a messy updo while muttering to herself underneath her breath. All the while, her chest was moving up and down at an alarming rate.

"Why don't you calm down and breathe before you hyperventilate?" Kyoshi suggested.

"Why can't I get this right?" Toph shouted. "It's been _hours_ and I haven't been able to move that rock more than a few yards." Toph groaned loudly and threw herself on the ground again, face down this time. "What the heck am I doing wrong?" she said, her voice muffled from speaking into the ground below her.

"You're giving up, that's what," Kyoshi said sternly, partially annoyed.

Toph scowled as she looked over her shoulder. "I'm not _giving up_," she snarled. "I'm annoyed. I feel like punching someone right now!"

She didn't notice that all her friends, even King Bumi, and taken three steps away from her after she said that.

"Moping isn't going to help. Now get up and do it again. The more practice, the greater chance you'll have at getting it right," she urged, motioning for Toph to get up from the floor. Toph groaned again and grabbed at her hair in frustration. Slowly, she got to her feet and tried—_again_—to fling that boulder a considerable distance without collapsing from exhaustion.

"I think she's losing it," Katara muttered under her breath.

"No, I just think she's stressed," Zuko confided.

"Nuh uh…I think she's lost it."

"Well you've got to admit, she's the first one out of all of us to blow a fuse," Suki commented.

"Blow a fuse? You mean completely obliterate everything in her path," Sokka corrected.

Aang shook his head. "She's just really eager to get this right. The faster she gets it right, the faster we can get rid of this spirit," he said. "Besides, better for her to let her frustration out now rather than for her to take it out on one of us later on."

Everyone shuddered.

"Never seen someone with so much raw power before. I wonder what happens when someone really gets her angry," Bumi thought out loud.

They all turned their heads to the Earth King in surprise. "What do you mean?" Aang asked.

Bumi smirked and continued to face forward. "Well, from the way she's fighting I can tell she's got a lot of raw power despite the fact that her earth bending is so different from the norm. Imagine the possibilities of what would happen if someone really got her blood boiling. I bet it'd be quite a sight," Bumi laughed to himself.

Aang's eyebrow arched, but he still smiled and turned back to Toph just in time to see her crash to the ground again, the boulder not going anywhere.

"Dammit," Toph muttered, feeling the scratch on her calf that came when she just slid on the floor.

Kyoshi remained in her spot against the wall with her calculating gaze. "Get up! You don't have time to be complaining."

Toph cursed under her breath. "I'm getting up. Don't tell me what to do."

Kyoshi scowled as everyone watched Toph run through the drills again and again. Every time her eyes would glow, the boulder would be formed with great precision, and the size of it was truly something to gawk at. But every time it came time to project it forward, her energy seemed to fail her and it constantly lead to Toph suffering from intense falls and stumbles into the ground. By the time a few hours had passed, Toph was covered in a multitude of scrapes, bruises, and cuts. Nothing too serious, but there were so many of them that every single inch of her body must have stung.

It was only when Toph had stayed on the ground and had not gotten up that Kyoshi felt the need to allow more of her input.

"Have you given up already? Or are you just too lazy to get up off the ground?" she shouted.

Katara bit her lip and grabbed Suki's arm with worry twisting her features. "What's up with Kyoshi? She's being harsher than usual," Katara muttered. '

"She is known to be stern. I was half expecting this anyway," Suki whispered back.

Toph dug her nails into the ground, silently seething inside her mind. She shakily picked herself off of the ground and turned her body towards Kyoshi. "I can get up just fine," Toph choked out, her body still sore and hurting from all of the bruises.

"Then show me you're the prodigy you claim to be. Are you telling the 'World's Greatest Earth Bender' can't grit her teeth and handle a few bruises?"

"Quit mocking me," she growled. "I _am_ the Greatest Earth Bender alive. Nothing you can say can change that."

"That prove it," Kyoshi smirked. "Because all I see is a sniveling little girl arguing and complaining with her superiors."

Toph's glare was growing very heated as she backed up toward the opposite wall, ready to try her drill again. It seems as though the initial hatred that the two had for each other was returning quickly. The heavy stare down was intense and it didn't seem as if either of them was letting up. They both had too much pride in themselves. Neither of them would admit defeat from the other that easily.

"I'm not a sniveling little brat. I'm a fighter! I don't quit!"

"Prove it, _Miss Bei Fong_," she chuckled.

Aang heard Toph growl from where he was standing at least 50 yards away. He knew the signs. She was mad. No, she was _furious_. He'd only ever seen her that upset on a few occasions and this certainly was as intense as those other times. Her pale green eyes were flickering as if they were burning with hatred. She seemed dead set on proving herself. Not many people challenged her bending skills. When the world proclaimed her as the Hundred Year War Veteran, the World's Greatest Earth Bender, and the world's only Metal Bender, no one questioned. It was accepted and she was praised for it. But someone actually challenged whether or not she deserved any of those titles in the first place.

Toph wasn't one to cry over it. She'd show her. She'd show anyone who tried to question it. And Aang was one hundred percent positive that was the thought that was running through Toph's head the moment she started running towards Kyoshi again.

It was different this time. She was running faster, her feet were kicking up clouds of dirt since she seeming to be stampeding over towards Kyoshi. The idea of smashing the Avatar into the ground was probably running through her mind. Aang watched with bated breath along with the others as they saw Toph charge full throttle ahead of her.

Her eyes seemed to glow brighter than before. In fact, there were a darker green than ever before, almost as if her rage was darkening her mood. Her hands shot up and almost immediately had brought up another boulder a bit larger than the ones she had bent before. Everyone couldn't breathe when they saw Toph jump into the air and throw her hands forward with intense momentum.

This time, the rock went flying. Aang was pretty sure that if he blinked, he would've missed the throw that was shot clear across the arena. It briefly reminded him of that day in the forest when Toph had first faced against Koh. The razor sharp precision, the speed, the power—it was all manifesting itself all over again. The rock had collided with the wall opposite Toph with a deafening crash, making everyone standing there cover their ears to shield their ear drums from shattering. When the rock had made contact, it reminded Aang of a tidal wave. He could've sworn he saw the walls ripple just a little bit before they completely exploded form the force of the blow. Debris and pieces of rock were flung all over the place.

Large rocks that crumbled from the walls were flying into the air and landing with loud thuds against the ground. It got to the point where Bumi and Aang had to bring up a rock shield to make sure that no one was hit with the large pieces if rubble that were still falling from above them. No one was able to see the dust clear from the room, and no one dared peek from underneath the rock shield until it was completely quiet. There were still some rustling sounds from random pebbles and stones that were still rolling against the ground. After two minutes, complete silence was heard. Bumi and Aang had lowered the rock shields to assess the damage.

The wall was completely decimated. If the arena hadn't been safely underground, the sheer force would have knocked down a few more walls behind the first. It didn't look like that wall would be easily fixed. Most of the wall came loose and there was a crater that was nearly fifteen feet tall and fifteen feet wide. Aang looked to the left of him and saw Toph crouched over, gasping and breathing with a lot of difficulty. Her entire upper body was heaving dangerously and her eyes were fluttering. It looked as if she were desperately trying not to pass out from the intense exertion.

Kyoshi was standing on the completely opposite end of the arena again, clearly smart enough to have stepped out of the way before Toph decided to attack. Aang could see her small smile and her nod of approval in the distance. Toph's legs were trembling as she got to her feet. She looked exhausted and disheveled as she brushed her bangs off which were matted down on her face. Then, everyone turned towards King Bumi who had suddenly started clapping with a smile on his face.

The entire audience had watched him curiously as they heard him let out his trademark laugh which reverberated off of the walls, causing a great echo.

"What'd I tell you all?" he laughed. "Quite a sight."

* * *

**A/N: Please don't be one of those peekers who reads a story and then run away. If you have read this, PLEASE leave a comment. It would mean a lot to me if you did. It boosts morale in a way that you cannot even imagine. Thanks!**


	19. Day Two of Training II

**A/N: I watched "The Last Airbender" movie last weekend. I knew that I should have noticed the signs when I saw that Roger Ebert (my favorite movie critic) completely bashed the movie and there were so many angry fans online, but I saw the movie anyway. **

***sigh***

**It was okay at best. I realize that a lot had to be cut out of the show in order for it all to fit into the movie, but the entire film was rushed and awkward. The characters were doing more plot explanation than actual acting. And even so, the acting was god awful, the writing was a joke, and personally I don't know how this movie did so well in the box office. But anyway...on to more important things. **

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Aang and Katara promptly ran across the piles of rocks over to Toph, who looked like she was having trouble breathing. Aang had reached her first, lifting her face to see her eyes dropping and her limbs growing limp. Afraid that she was going to fall unconscious, he placed her arm around the back of his shoulders and lifted her up from the ground. She had managed to stand but was leaning most of her weight on Aang, feeling too tired to take a step forward.

Katara had rushed over and began to inspect Toph's bruises and cuts that were dotted all over her. She gently ran her fingers over each and everyone, causing Toph to flinch whenever she touched a particularly horrible bruise.

"She's got injuries all over her. We should have stopped her before she tired herself out like this," she commented worriedly.

"That would have been getting in her way," Aang told her. Katara turned to Aang with her eyes widened slightly.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "She's hurt because of that training. Of course we should have stopped her."

Aang shook his head. "She's set on getting strong enough to take care of this Spirit by herself. She doesn't want to feel helpless while this thing is after her. She wants to be able to fight back and show that she's strong enough to do it. Protecting her like that would be an insult to her. She'll think that we don't think she can get strong enough. It's better for her to struggle through her training and learn to get better on her own than us interfering to protect her."

Katara stared at Aang's face shocked. But she bit her lip, looked down at her feet and nodded. Aang looked over at Toph's face and lightly brushed his fingers across her cheek to try and coax her awake. He was whispering into her ear, telling her things that he made sure Katara wouldn't be able to hear. Katara lifted her head and saw how Aang muttering things in Toph's ears, brushing her hair out of her eyes, and brushing his fingers across the cheek. She lifted her brows slightly, unsure of how to react to the sudden gentleness that she had never seen exchanged between the two of them. She didn't have time to ask before Suki, Sokka, and Zuko ran over as well.

"Toph," Suki said, grabbing the hand that wasn't wrapped around Aang's shoulders. "You okay?"

Toph grumbled, but she lifted her head slightly and nodded slowly. "I'm just tired," she whispered, her words barely audible.

"You scared us there," Sokka said. "We thought you got crushed under all those rocks."

Toph scoffed. "Please," she muttered. "I'm not that stupid. I knew that thing was coming down before you guys even saw."

"Well, as long as you're okay," Zuko chuckled, ruffling her hair playfully. Toph slapped his hand away and laughed lightly with him.

"We need to get you healed. I mean look at all of these cuts. They must be hurting like crazy," Katara insisted.

Toph nodded. "Sure, sure. They're not really that bad though."

Katara shook her head stubbornly. "Yeah, they're not that bad _now. _But if you let them get worse, you'll be in a world of pain later on."

"I think I can handle a few cuts and bruises, Sweetness," Toph muttered.

Katara rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Oh, will you just humor me?"

The Earth Bender shook her head, but she submitted to Katara's request. "Good," Katara smiled. "How about we take her to my room? I think it's closer to the arena than Toph's and the less she has to walk, the better. You should probably let Aang over there carry you," she smirked lightly.

Toph shakily stood up on her own two feet and pointed at Katara. "Look, I can walk just fine."

"Mm hm. Then explain to me why it looks like you're about to keel over?" Katara smirked again, crossing her arms.

Toph was about to open her mouth to rebuke when Aang leaned over to her ear again. "Will you just let us carry you? The faster you get better, the faster you can come back here and rub it in Kyoshi's face that you proved her wrong," he explained. Toph wasn't able to see the suspicious look on Katara's face, and for that the Water Bender was grateful. Katara was even more surprised to see that Toph—the most stubborn person she had ever met—was climbing on Aang's back and was following Aang's orders of letting herself be carried to Katara's room. Nobody else noticed. Bumi, Sokka, and Zuko were turned away, fussing over whether or not the arena could be fixed. Suki was trying to suck up to Kyoshi and explain that Toph meant no disrespect and that all she needed was to be healed quickly before she returned. Katara smiled. She would have fun asking about this later on.

"You crazy kids go and get that tough one fixed up," Bumi insisted. "I'll go and fix the demolition zone. Though I almost want to leave it the way it is. That was pretty impressive, Bei Fong," Bumi smiled.

Toph chuckled and shook her head. "Thanks."

"Alright," Suki announced, walking back over to the group. "Avatar Kyoshi's willing to give you a half hour to get fixed up, but then you _have_ to come back down here to train. She doesn't want you wasting too much time, okay?"

"Whatever," Toph sighed.

"Okay," Katara said, facing Toph. "Come on, before those bruises get worse."

Toph—still tired despite her previous statement—simply nodded and let her chin rest on Aang's shoulder as he carried her back outside the familiar hallways and passageways back towards Katara's bedroom. During the entire walk, Toph tried to concentrate more on the fact that the wounds all over her body were killing her rather than the fact that she was being carried by Aang, his hands clutching her thighs. Much to her annoyance that didn't seem possible. Meanwhile, Katara was barely listening to what Zuko was telling her, silently laughing at the look of embarrassment on Toph's face no one else seemed to notice.

Once they reached Katara's room, she ordered that all of the men leave. They questioned why on Earth they couldn't stay to make sure their friend was alright, but Katara was stern in her decision as she and Suki stood at the door holding it open and gesturing for them to leave.

"She probably has wounds under her shirt. You guys do _not _need to stay for that."

Zuko filed out dutifully and had asked the two of them to let them know when Toph was fully healed. Sokka seemed to complain something about not having anything to do. Now that he was no longer allowed into the kitchen, he didn't have much to do anymore. It took a few kisses and reassurances from Suki to get him out the room. Aang, however, lingered in the room and had not moved from his spot near the bed where Toph had decided to sit for the time being. He turned and walked over to Toph and knelt down in front of her. Katara's heart did a quick little jump. Katara quietly nudged Suki with her elbow and turned her face over to the scene unfolding before them.

Toph seemed to realize that Aang was staring at him because she turned her head back to face, even though her gaze didn't seem to be catching his directly. Aang reached over and gently turned her head so that he was staring directly into her eyes. He smiled lightly as she colored slightly from the contact. After about half a minute, Aang muttered something quietly to Toph that went completely unheard to Suki and Katara from across the room. With that he let go of her face and walked towards the two other women in the room, and then out the door that Katara was clutching open. Both Suki and Katara stood slightly stunned. Katara hesitated for a moment before she closed the door shut again.

Katara and Suki snapped their heads automatically to Toph, still sitting on the bed and now fiddling with the loose fabric on her pants.

Katara looked at Suki and raised an eyebrow. _Did you see that?_ she asked silently.

Suki nodded. _Yep_.

Katara's turned back to Toph. Sure, she had been teasing Toph slightly back at the arena in her own subtle and unspoken way. And she had _sort of_ initiated the idea of Aang carrying Toph back on his back. Aang did agree to it so it wasn't completely her idea. She had only thought the two of them had a small crush on the other. It was adorable to her and she had always sort of been a fan of their friendly relationship ever since they were younger. She had only been trying to nudge them a little closer, initiate a cute and touching moment, try and get them to blush like little children so that she could stand in the corner and swoon over the adorable little interactions she was sure were going to happen sooner or later. But _that_…what _was_ that?

It certainly wasn't flirtatious. That wasn't something two people did when they were simply crushing on each other. It _definitely_ wasn't a friendly gesture. It was far too intense to be anything less than…

But was that even possible? Did they really get that close already? Toph had been at her parents' house ever since the war was over. Aang had only seen her recently. Did all of this really happen this quickly?

Judging by Suki's surprised expression, Katara knew that Suki was thinking along the same lines as her.

"Hey what are you guys doing?"

Katara snapped her gaze back to Toph who was tapping her foot impatiently against the ground. "I thought you said my wounds were bad and that they needed to be healed right away."

Katara nodded and walked over to the drawers that were next to her bed. She pulled a couple of them open before she pulled out her water pouch. She slung it onto the bed and flipped the cap open, bending out a thin stream of water. The water sloshed around before it rested against an area just above Toph's wrist which was covered in a large bruise. The water began to glow immediately as the bruise began to fade away. Katara continued up Toph's arm in silence, healing all of the small cuts and bruises that were dotting her entire body.

"How did you get so banged up?" Suki asked. "I mean, you're covered in injuries."

"You try falling repeatedly from five feet in the air onto a hard rock floor. Not to mention every time I dropped the boulder, I was getting pelted with rocks that broke off from the ground where the boulder was dropped. Anybody would get hurt. But I still think they could have healed on their own," Toph insisted.

"Oh please," Katara said, finally reaching her elbow. "Better for you to be in complete, mint condition than struggling when you're only at fifty percent. After all, you needed a break. You looked about ready to kill somebody with that raw power you were dishing out."

"Yeah," Suki laughed. "I thought you were going to bring down the whole arena. You should have seen your face. You looked pretty furious."

"So? How dare she question my title? I earned every name that I go by and I wasn't about to stand there and listen to her mocking every single one of them. I have pride and a reputation to protect," she said proudly.

"I guess you're right. Just calm down next time? That _is_ Avatar Kyoshi. You can't be too careful," Suki said worriedly.

"Oh of course," Toph said sarcastically, "I wouldn't want to insult your amazing idol. I'd rather die of shame first."

Suki smiled. "I'm glad you understand." Toph just shook her head.

"So," Katara piped up in a casual tone. "What was that just now?" she smirked.

"What was what?" Toph asked.

"You know what I'm talking about," Katara scolded as she started healing Toph's shoulder. "That whole…_staring _thing you and Aang were doing. I mean what _was_ that?"

Toph's cheeks colored up similar to the way they did before. "It was, um, n-nothing. It was nothing."

"Hmph. You could've fooled me," Suki teased. "That looked like a lot more than just 'nothing.' Besides, Sokka told me that you guys were by yourselves for a while when the rest of us ran off for some breakfast." She crossed her arms. "There had to have been a reason why he was giggling like a school girl when he said all of this."

Toph hung her head. She lifted the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head so that Katara could get to the scratches on her back. She sighed as she moved the arm that Katara had already healed. Suki sat in front of Toph on the floor and Katara was clicking her tongue against her teeth, a sign that they were both waiting for an answer.

"Okay…I may have…_possibly_…kissed Aang last night," she mumbled, speaking the last part of her sentence as though it were only one word.

It didn't seem to go unheard by either Katara or Suki, because they both screamed in her ears.

"No way," Suki said, her words muffled from the hand that was covering her mouth.

"Are you serious?" Katara shouted in Toph's ear.

"Will you two shut up? It's not that big of a deal," she mumbled.

Katara laughed, bending more water out from her water pouch. "Sorry. But I think it's adorable."

"Oh, I'm glad that I'm _adorable_ to you," Toph glared.

"She's kidding. She's just trying to say that it's nice you two finally decided to do something," Suki said.

"What, were guys waiting for something to erupt between the two of us or something?" Toph asked.

"Yes!" Suki shouted, throwing her arms up in the air. "I don't think you two realized it at the time, but you two had some major chemistry during the war. Sure you guys only acted as friends, but there was always that…I dunno…_spark_. You two seemed to click every single time. I don't think anyone knew you as well as him and vice versa. I'm right aren't I Katara?"

Katara nodded. "I always said that you two were the best of friends and that you weren't going to get rid of each other anytime soon. Even when you parted ways after the war, you managed to bump into each other again. You can't get rid of each other for long, you always hang out together, you constantly get nervous whenever I mention his name…how can I _not_ think anything of that?"

Toph didn't say anything.

"And the way he was looking at you just now? Gosh, I thought my heart had melted," Katara smiled.

Toph nodded. "Yeah," she smiled. "I know. Mine too."

Toph sighed and let her shoulder fall forward once Katara was done with them. "But do you think that it'll work out in the end?"

Katara threw Toph her shirt and let her put it back on. She moved to heal the rest of Toph's other arm. "What do you mean? You both like each other a lot. I can tell. I thought that was a good thing."

"You don't know that," she added bitterly. "Sure, things are great _now_. But, he told me that he's staying in Ba Sing Se after all of this is over. Something about the Earth King needing his help."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Katara asked.

"For him," she said miserably. "But what am I supposed to do? I can't very well go back to my parent's house yet. Not after the way I left them. Besides, I don't think they'll ever trust me again after what I did to them. I can't go back for a while. I have to give them time to cool down about it. Then maybe I can think about apologizing. I can't just go with him on Avatar business. I'm no good at any of that stuff. He's not going to need me for that and I'll just get in the way. You're going back to the Fire Nation with Zuko. Suki, you're going to be with Sokka. And that leaves little old me alone again."

Toph fiddled with her pant legs, rolling them up for Katara to heal her legs. "The idea of Aang is a really nice one. But it's only nice now that we're cooped up in the same place. He's going to be busy helping the world, and I'm not needed for that."

"How could you say that? Look at all of the things he's needed everyone's help with so far? Who's to say he won't need you?"

Toph sighed. "I don't know. But the idea of being by myself again…"

"I just don't want be without any of you guys all over again. That was the stupidest thing I've ever done and I don't need it happening again," Toph finished.

"It's not going to," Katara assured. "Honestly, do you think Aang would really leave you on your own after everything you two have been through so far? I don't think you realize how much he cares about you."

"You didn't see the way he was staring at you," Suki explained "but it looked like he would rather die than to see you by yourself again. He wants to help you. And he wants to be there for you. You don't need to worry about anybody abandoning you again. That kid is not going to let you go."

Toph frowned, staying silent for a moment. "I guess you're right. But I also have my parents to think about," Toph pointed out. "I can't just run away from my home forever. They're still my parents. I know I said that I had to escape my home. But I can't escape my family. I can't just break contact with them. And they don't like Aang very much. Actually, not at all. I doubt they'd be okay with him once I tell them."

"Does their opinion really matter all that much?" Suki asked.

"Aang may be the Avatar, but my parents have more social status than he does. They're not going to want their precious daughter with a boy that owns nothing more than the clothes on his back. They'll never accept him the way they should. And I'm just scared they'll make me come back home for good all over again."

"They can't keep you from him just because they don't approve," Katara insisted. "They have to respect your decision."

"They _should_ respect my decision. But there's no way of telling whether they actually will. After all, they were willing to lock me in my house as a prisoner. Who knows what other surprises they have for me?"

"But that's not even fair to you. Isn't their daughter's happiness what matters?" Suki asked angrily.

Toph didn't reply. "Everything right now is perfect. You know, minus Koh coming after me. But I'm just afraid that once we get back to our duties—Aang as the Avatar and me as the Bei Fong's daughter—things just aren't going to be as nice as they are now. I don't want to have to be separated from him again. Or any of you guys either."

Suki smiled comfortingly. "Don't worry. We're not going to lose you and you are not going to lose Aang. I promise, alright?"

Toph nodded. "I just hope you're right."

Katara frowned and stared silently at Toph. "I wouldn't worry about that right now. After all, look at how miserable you're becoming just by talking about this? It doesn't suit you. Think about it this way. You've got the support of your friends right now. I doubt anything bad will happen with your parents as long as we're here to back you up. Besides, worse comes to worse, we'll put in a good word for Aang for you. I doubt your parents will say no to Aang once they hear Fire Lord Zuko praising Aang all over the place." She laughed and nudged Toph to signal that she was done with her healing.

The tingling in Toph's legs stopped as soon as Katara was finished with healing all of her wounds. "I guess so," Toph mumbled. "Thanks. Sorry for sounding like an idiot. I'm acting more and more like a damsel in distress every day."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You're just in _love_," she giggled.

"I doubt it's that intense," Toph assured. "I wouldn't say it's love…but it's definitely serious. I don't know what to call it."

Suki nodded. "I get it. It takes a while for you to figure out if you love someone. Not a lot of people even know what it really is. How do you know you're in love when you've never felt it? You'll figure it out though. It tends to be something you just know."

Katara lifted a brow. "And how would you know?"

Suki's eyes widened. "I wouldn't. I never said I was in love."

Toph smirked. "Yeah? Are you sure? Mr. Boomerang seems to have captured your heart in my opinion."

Suki glared. "Oh how would you know?"

"Because you were lying when you said you weren't in love."

Suki rolled her eyes. "I thought we were making fun of you."

Toph chuckled. "Do you really think that the way he was looking at me was that…intense?"

"I know that stare anywhere, Toph," Katara assured. "Those aren't just given out to any ordinary person. He cares for you more than you know. I'm sure he would never let anything happen to you. Not now."

Toph nodded. "I guess you're right. After all, you have more experience with love than I do."

"Excuse me? Experience?"

"I had a nice, long conversation with Sokka," Toph laughed. "Explain to me what happened with Haru. I didn't know it got to be that serious."

"It wasn't! I didn't like him," Katara shouted defensively.

"Sokka told me about you and Jet," Suki smiled. "Was that ever true?"

"Err, um…well…"

"Busted, Sugar Queen," Toph laughed. "What'd I tell you? You've had your fair share of crushes over the years. And now you have jumped to Scarface. When will your reign of terror end?"

"Shut up! Suki's right. It's much more fun poking fun at you," she pouted.

Their laughs were cut short when there was a loud knock on the door at the other end of the room. The door vibrated from the knocking and the girls had barely heard Sokka's booming voice coming from the other side of the door.

"Will you guys hurry up? You've been in there forever!"

Katara huffed, stood up to stand next to the door, and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Sokka, leave us alone. It hasn't even been a half hour yet," she shouted back.

"Doesn't matter! The arena's ready! Toph needs to get back!"

Katara frowned. "Fine."

"What?"

"I said fine!"

Katara pinched the bridge of her nose. "So loud," she mumbled. "Well, I think we're done in here," she announced.

"Fine by me," Toph said, getting off of the bed. "The sooner I get back the better. I need to keep practicing. Besides, I'm getting restless. I need to throw a few rocks around."

Suki shrugged. "Whatever you say. I kind of want to see the rest of the show anyway."

Katara crossed her arms. "Alright fine. But the next time he interrupts one of our girl talks…"

Toph flinched. "Oh, please don't call it a girl talk," Toph begged. "That makes me sound prissy and girly and then the moment just gets absolutely ruined."

"Fine. It was engaging conversation," Katara said.

Toph pointed at Katara. "Much better."

"Can we go? I don't want to get Avatar Kyoshi upset again. We should get back early so that she won't have to worry," Suki asked.

"Fine, fine," Toph said, pulling the door open. "Anything to make Avatar Kyoshi happy."

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time the arena was ready and Toph's training had started up again. Ever since Toph had completely destroyed the arena, it was easier for her to go through with all of the training that Kyoshi had comprised for her. All it needed was a little raw power and motivation: all of which seem to be at their peak whenever she had a huge rush of adrenaline. It was easy enough to get herself hyped up now that she knew exactly what she had to do. Unfortunately it only made things harder for her.

It was like going through Earth Bending all over again. She had a temporary flashback when she was teaching Aang Earth Bending. She had already completed her first lesson which was to move a rock. Now it was a series of splitting rocks in half, moving multiple rocks, shooting them out in succession, creating ripples in the ground, and so many other things that Toph had trouble keeping track of exactly everything she was forced to accomplish that entire day.

It was a relief that she had managed not to get so tired due to the hours of practice she had been going through. By the time she had been promoted to bringing up waves of rock, her powers didn't seem to tire her out anymore than normal bending would. She would have trained non-stop into the night if Katara hadn't insisted on healing any small scratches she had gotten on her as well as filling her up with water whenever she could.

"You're going to dehydrate. You need to keep drinking water or else you'll overheat."

"Man," Toph muttered. "You should become a doctor or something with the way you're carrying on."

It had gone on for hours. It wasn't until Bumi had shouted at her that it was well into the night that she had stopped all of the Earth Bending she was in the middle of and sat down on the ground. She leaned her back against the wall as Katara brought over more water for her to drink and was looking her over in case she had gotten hurt again. It took a lot of convincing and insisting form Toph's part before Katara was able to walk away, satisfied that she wasn't hurt at all. Toph laid down on the ground, staring up into the ceiling while everyone had walked over to her.

"You have been at it since the afternoon," Sokka yawned. "How are you still functioning, Toph?"

"I'm used to bending at night," Toph answered. "It was the only way for me to learn back at home."

"I think we all need to get some sleep. You too," Zuko said, pointing at Toph. "You practice anymore and you're going to pass out. Get some sleep."

"Fine, fine," she replied. "Just let me rest here for awhile. I'll get up there soon I promise."

"Alright. See you in the morning, Toph," Suki called, walking away as she wrapped her arms around Sokka's arm.

Katara poked Toph in the stomach. "He's serious, you know. Don't sneak down here to practice. You need to sleep," she nagged.

"Okay," Toph said slowly. "I'll go to bed. Just give me a second."

"You need anything else?" Katara asked worriedly.

Toph inhaled deeply. "No," she said calmly. "I'm fine. Stop worrying yourself and get to sleep. Heck, you can take your man candy with you to your room."

Katara blushed. She slapped Toph's shoulder lightly. "Shut up," she muttered. She got up and pulled Zuko to the door with her, leaning her head on his shoulder, clearly tired from watching Toph for the rest of the day.

"You can wait outside or something. I won't be long," Toph spoke up before Aang had gotten the chance to open his mouth.

"You sure?" he asked.

Toph nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to talk to Kyoshi really quickly actually. Do you mind?"

Aang shook his head. "Nah, go ahead. I'll wait outside for you okay? I'm just warning you. Don't' fall asleep in here. I will carry you back," he chuckled.

"Ugh, no more carrying," she muttered. "I like my feet on the ground, thank you very much."

"See you in a bit," he promised. He walked outside of the large room, leaving Kyoshi and Toph all by themselves.

"Keeping up with the prophecy, huh?"

Toph turned her head towards the source of the voice. She still couldn't sense any vibrations. All she could rely on was the fact that her voice was next to her.

"What do you mean?"

"You and the Avatar. You are predestined soul mates, you realize?"

Toph closed her eyes. "Hm. I hadn't even thought about that," she mused. "I guess it happened by accident."

"Not really," Kyoshi explained. "You two were naturally brought together. It was written in stone that you two would eventually meet. But how you two grew fond of each other…that was entirely your doing."

"What do you mean?"

"You two weren't born with the instinct to fall in love with each other once you met. You two fell for each other all on your own. Nothing about destiny or duty had anything to do with it."

"But us falling in love was inevitable?" Toph asked.

Kyoshi nodded. "Well that's true too. But the process depended on the two of you."

Toph nodded. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Kyoshi asked.

"Didn't you get an all powerful boyfriend or something?"

Kyoshi must have moved to the wall next to Toph because her voice moved from in front of Toph to her left. "I did. A long time ago. I managed to out live him, actually. It was why I had absorbed myself into my Avatar duties to the extent that I did. But when the Avatar's lover manages by some miracle to be male, they don't have the powers that you have."

Toph let a puzzled look creep onto her face. "Why not?"

Kyoshi shrugged. "No one knows. No one also knows why very few Avatars are women. The miracle that there was a female Avatar only two lifetimes before me was rare and miraculous. But most of the time, the Avatar happens to be a male and the Avatar's lover winds up being female. It's just how it winds up happening."

Toph nodded, accepting her answer. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Well, how long does it normally take for a woman to master these powers on average?"

"Most take years to perfect it. But it only takes a matter of months to get to the level you have already reached."

Toph shook her head. "But that's impossible. How can I have achieved in two days what took most months?"

Kyoshi stood silent for a bit, mulling the question over. "You said that you learned Earth Bending from Badger Moles, correct?" she asked finally.

"Yeah," Toph nodded. "I ran away into a cave when I was little and stumbled upon them. They were blind just like I was, so it was easier for me to understand them. We interacted with the world the same way so it was easy to learn Earth Bending from them. Why does that matter?"

Kyoshi smiled. "Most of the women that I have seen training with their powers were indeed prodigies like you were. But unlike you, they had learned the art of bending from human teachers. Although their learning might have been seemingly impeccable, it is impossible for humans to fully absorb the intricate art in which the original benders had managed to manipulate the elements. Believe it or not, the first human benders had not accurately copied the style of the original benders, although they came pretty close. But as the knowledge of bending became passed down generations via human memory, the art became altered. You'll find that the way humans bend and the way the original benders bend is surprisingly different.

"But you have had the luck to learn straight from the source. You have bending abilities most closely related with their original source. This means that you are more connected with your element, you know how it moves, how it sounds, how it feels. You are probably more connected to the Earth than I ever was. And I'm a fully realized Avatar."

Toph widened her eyes at that comment.

"Bending is the most natural thing to you in the world. More natural than breathing. It is the easiest thing for you to get a hang of. After all, you were already at a master level before the age of twelve. Isn't that out of the ordinary?" Kyoshi asked.

"I guess. So, because I learned bending from the original source, I'm able to master my powers faster?"

"Exactly. Granted you're not a master at them yet. Unfortunately I'll only be able to teach you enough for you to properly defend yourself and do basic attacks. In order to completely master them, you'd need to train for a lot longer. But you did indeed pick up on things very quickly. And it is because you are so connected to your element that this is even possible. Imagine it. All you had to do was figure out how to control the energy that was already inside of you. Once that was done, combining the two was easy for you. Most find it difficult to combine the two that way. But of course that wouldn't be a problem for you."

Toph smirked. "Well. I guess I really _am_ awesome."

"Big headedness is not becoming on anyone. That goes for you," Kyoshi scolded.

"Oh, I was just kidding," Toph said, getting up from the ground. "And despite the fact that I really did hate you in the beginning of all of this," Toph laughed "I'm glad you decided to help me," she said seriously. 'I'd probably be cowering in the corner without you."

"I'd doubt that," Kyoshi smiled. "You would have probably died trying than to cry on the corner and give up. I admire that about you."

Toph scratched the back of her neck. "Thanks."

Kyoshi sighed. "You should be getting off to bed. I believe the Avatar is waiting for you."

Toph nodded. "Alright. I'll see you first thing in the morning then?"

"Yes. And don't worry. I have something different to show you after we've practiced for a little bit," Kyoshi said. "You won't be bored tomorrow. I promise."

Toph laughed. Kyoshi might have been a bit stuck up and full of herself, but at least she was decent company. She would actually miss her for a little bit after tomorrow. And then after that…

She shuddered. She had almost forgotten. The reason for all of this training. She'd have to go face to face with the source of her nightmares, the reason for her distress, and the cause of all of this chaos. She clenched her fists. It was way too late to be worrying herself sick about it now. She would make sure to end all of this with everyone by her side once she managed to do it. She was sure.

She had almost completely passed Aang until he spoke up next to her once she stepped outside.

"Tired, Toph?" he chuckled.

Toph spun around quickly and sighed in relief. "Wow. I guess I'm not concentrating much. I've already got these hallways memorized. I could probably walk back to my room even if they were covered in ice."

Aang laughed. "You eyes are drooping."

Toph rubbed her eyes. "Shut up." She sighed and yawned loudly. She walked over to him and wrapped herself around his right arm. "Can you take me back to my room? I'm tired."

Aang shook his head and smiled. He pushed her forward lightly and started walking back to their rooms, Toph still latched onto his arms.

"Sorry I've been a little over protective lately. I'm just…getting a little nervous. Time's almost up."

Toph shook her head and wrapped her arms tighter around him. "Mm, I don't mind," she mumbled. "It's kind of nice if you ask me."

"Normally you'd think it was annoying," Aang pointed out.

"Yeah, well everyone's due for some character changes every once in a while."

Aang paused and tapped on Toph's elbow. "Can I ask you something really quickly?"

Toph nodded and muttered something into his shirt.

"What were you trying to tell me this morning?"

Toph frowned and stared ahead of her. Flashes of what she had spoken to Katara and Suki about had started bombarding her mind. She let her eyes close slightly, wondering if she should even bother him about her silly little ramblings. Suki and Katara had assured her that being abandoned by her friends would never happen, and that it was a ridiculous idea. But she thought that it'd be better to ask him anyway.

"You're going to Ba Sing Se. I just thought that it might leave me…" she paused.

"By yourself?" he finished. Toph didn't respond.

Aang let out a deep breath. "Toph, I made the mistake of trusting that you were fine as long as you were with your parents. I never went to visit you earlier because I figured that you were happy enough with your family. I thought you were more wrapped up with reconnecting with your parents than spending time with us. I left you alone with your family. I thought that's what you needed. But I didn't think you'd wind up being so lonely. And it was by far the stupidest thing I've ever done. So I'm not going to just abandon you all over again."

Toph kept her eyes closed. "Does that mean that when this is all over I can travel with you for a bit? I think that would be better. I want to give my parents a while to calm down before I go back."

"You're going back?" he asked.

"Just to apologize. I think that we didn't exactly explain much to them. And now that I think about it, I can't just cut of all ties with my family. Besides, they don't exactly think too kindly of you. It'd be a great way for you to warm up to them a little bit."

"What does that mean?" he asked suspiciously.

"You're going to have to brush up on your manners. After all, whether you like it or not, you're going to have to deal with my parents eventually. The Earth King asks my father's opinion for _quite_ a lot of the Earth King's political business. You'll find yourself asking for Mr. Lao Bei Fong's approval for a bunch of things. After all, you are going to Ba Sing Se to help out King Kuei aren't you?" Toph smirked.

"I didn't know your dad was that influential," Aang said.

"Yeah. Why do you think I knew so much about Ba Sing Se when we there during the war? We traveled there all of the time as the Earth King's special guests."

Aang nodded. "Wait a minute," he paused. "If the Bei Fong's were constantly honored guests, why didn't he recognize you when we busted into his throne room during the war?"

"Well," Toph started "that may have been due to the fact that he's used to seeing me with my hair done, wearing expensive robes and the best jewelry money can buy," she explained. "He probably didn't recognize me under the baggy clothes and the dirt," she laughed.

Aang paused, not finding any of this funny. "So…when you say manners…does that mean…?"

"Yup," she laughed. "We're going to have to get you proper robes. I think the ones you wore during Zuko's coronation will have to do. You're going to need to know how to eat properly, speak properly, and walk properly. That means working on your posture, knowing where the utensils go on the table, chewing with your mouth closed, speaking only when spoken to, and learning how to charm the other people in your presence."

Aang cringed. "That sounds terrible."

"Yes, it is. But it's easy, too. I'll teach you what you need to know," she said, punching his arm lightly.

"Alright. But remember what I said also. I'm not leaving you alone anymore. And that means you're going to have to help me convincing the Earth King to do what's best for his city."

"You want my help with Avatar stuff?" she asked.

"Well sure," Aang said. "You're better with charming rich people than I am. You've been around them longer. Besides, it wouldn't seem right to travel without you. Believe it or not, Appa and Momo are only so much company. I missed your sarcasm all those years." Toph smiled.

Aang opened the door to Toph's room. "I think you've got it covered form here, right?"

"We're here already?" she asked.

"Yeah. You'd better get some rest. You look really tired," he told her.

"Alright. I guess I'll see you in the morning then?" she said leaning against her door.

Aang nodded. "Of course. I'll try to wake up earlier next time."

Toph chuckled. "Well, you deserved the extra couple of hours. Sorry to stress you out so much."

Aang leaned in and pressed a small kiss on her forehead. He pulled away and pulled her face up to look at him. "Don't worry. It's nothing you did. I don't mind worrying about you. It's my pleasure."

Toph smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his shirt while he hugged her back. She stood like that for a while and felt comforted by the feeling of his chin lightly resting on the top of her head. She clutched on to him for a few minutes before she let go of him and said goodbye to him as he walked down the hall to his own room.

"See you tomorrow, Twinkle Toes," she smiled.

"As always." He started walking down the hall, but then turned on his heel. "By the way…"

"What?"

"We haven't sparred in ages," he pointed out.

"Are you really challenging me?" she teased.

"Well, maybe I like getting beaten to a pulp by you. But keep in my mind…I beat the Fire Lord," he grinned.

"Yeah, and I have a championship belt. That doesn't make you all powerful," she smirked.

"We shall see, _Earth Rumble Champion_," he laughed before walking off.

Toph didn't close the door until she could feel him walk down the rest of the hallway, through his own door, and into his own room. She let a wide grin split her face before she walked into room and chuckled to herself before she shut the door.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for the alerts, favs, and reviews. I appreciate it. **


	20. There's Been a Change of Plans

**A/N: Look out for the next chapter later tonight. Today is going to be a double post. **

* * *

**Chapter 20**

"He's getting louder."

Spirits of all sorts of animals were scurrying and running all in one direction—or rather, they were running away from the same place. The valleys of the Spirit World were littered with frightened people and animals who were trying desperately to get away from the havoc that was unraveling so close by.

Not too far away, through one of the many portals that were located around the Spirit World, was a hill that had no greenery or growth whatsoever. All that existed there were dried and barren trees that were scattered sparingly along the rocky path. The hill led up and up to where a large, twisted, gnarled tree with its roots growing up into the sky grew from the ground. A large hole was fashioned near the bottom of the tree where another earsplitting crash sounded. The entirety of the hillside shook with the force, causing even more fear to spread over everyone else.

The only two beings that were standing anywhere near the portal were the two most recent Avatars who were quietly assessing the situation between them. They could see clearly through the arch that proved as a portal for passage into Koh's realm and were staring intently at the rattling rocks that were falling from the edge of the hill.

"It only started yesterday," Roku explained. "At first, it was simply mumbling inside the cave by himself. But now, he's started ramming into the walls of his lair. The tremors have scared everyone away. No one wants to be within a hundred feet of him."

Kyoshi pursed her lips and continued to glare at the opening of the tree at the top of the hill in particular. "Do you think it's because…?"

"That would be my guess," Roku affirmed. "But I have to say, I didn't expect such a violent reaction."

A scream had suddenly echoed throughout the air around them and the cowering spirits who had run away as far from the archway as possible had covered their ears and backed further away from the source of the noise. The scream was followed by even more violent crashes that caused the ground to vibrate due to the sheer force.

"Well, there's obviously no reasoning with him if he's decided to act like a child about all of this," Kyoshi said, trying as best she could to speak over the noise.

Roku nodded. "I agree, but that's not what I'm worried about."

The clicking steps of the Spirit who resided in that burrow nestled on top of the hillside could be heard clearly. They echoed throughout the cavern as though he was angrily pacing around in his home and taking out his frustration by banging against the walls. Sure enough, more crashes and bashes were heard and the trunk of the tree began to shake again.

The scream was not so much a scream as it was a loud shout of anger. It erupted again and the last note of that shout hung in the air until the entire area was quiet again. Just when everyone thought that the noise had finally ceased, the crashes and shouts had started up again, making it seem as though they would never cease.

"If he continues this, he'll be disrupting the Spirit World, of course," Roku explained. "But my fear is that he'll become reckless again."

"Explain," Kyoshi asked, flinching slightly from the rock slide that had started because of the banging and crashing from within the hill.

Roku's gaze turned hard. "My guess is that he's acting this way because of you. You have concealed the presence of his latest goal. What if he pays no heed to this regardless?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if he simply decides that he will go to the Physical World regardless of what he is doing? What if he searches their world for Miss Bei Fong and will dispose of anyone that gets in his way. Goodness knows he's certainly angry enough to consider something like that."

Kyoshi thought this over. He was right, after all. It would be something that the Face Stealer would be capable of. Reckless endangerment of all mortals meant nothing to him so long as he got his ultimate goal: the Earthbending prodigy; Kyoshi's dutiful student who was probably sleeping soundly back in the Earth Kingdom. He would probably start off where he had last seen her and search the entirety of the Earth Kingdom from there. So many people resided in the Earth Kingdom that they were all in danger. Koh was normally dangerous. But imagine if he was in an intense rage such as this? He would probably attack anyone that got in his way, ulterior motives aside.

She had promised that she was going to help Toph any way that she could. That was the promise she had made three days ago, and judging by this spirit's behavior now, a promise she will see through to the absolute end. But the way things were looking now, Koh was getting restless. Judging by the way he was acting, he was just about fed up with waiting.

"There's no reasoning with him," Kyoshi explained. "He won't stop acting like this just because we told him to. Especially since we are Avatars. He'll dismiss us nothing more than unintelligible noise."

"Well we certainly can't let him go on like this and risk the possibility of him running after his target earlier than she would have liked," he said. "Let's at least speak with him and see if there is some way we can get a word in."

Kyoshi rolled her eyes. "It's just like speaking to a stone wall."

Roku nodded. "Perhaps. But it's better than leaving him like this," he said after a particularly loud crash had caused part of the hillside to shake.

It _was_ better than nothing. But it seemed useless if he wasn't going to heed anything they were going to say. Kyoshi sighed. But Roku was right. At the very least, they could try. Maybe he'll even stay quiet for a little bit of time so that everyone else could have some peace and quiet.

Kyoshi nodded and made her way towards the mountain pass that led to the top of the rather steep hill that was home to Koh's personal lair. Roku followed close behind after assuring the other spirits that were cowering in fear that they could go on and find somewhere less disruptive to be.

There was an odd atmosphere that befell anyone who came too close to Koh's cave. Of course, the Spirit World wasn't exactly a place that paid much attention to the laws of physics. You would often find yourself in a murky swamp, but then step through the vines to find yourself inside a green field instead. Some places rained, others remained sunny at all times. There were portals all over the Spirit World that led to various different realms. But most tended to stay away from the porthole that had led to the most dismal and eerie realm that anyone could even fathom.

The sky was terribly empty; there was not even a cloud in sight. In fact, the air around Koh's cave seemed to remain in this off-colored, bleak, eternal twilight. The mountain pass led travelers through a narrow path with a foggy ravine just below. It was hard to see where one was going because of the dim light and the rocks and boulders shooting straight out of the ground at odd and inconvenient angles didn't help climbing up to see him any easier either. Behind the rocks and on the tops of the bare trees, animals could be seen hopelessly trying to get off of the mountain. It served to be rather difficult for them seeing as how they didn't have any faces.

Both Avatars stepped inside of the damp, dark hole in the large tree while ignoring the continuous racket that was coming from just inside. They both fixed their faces to be expressionless and blank as they followed the sound coming from deep within the tunnel. Pretty soon, the tunnel that was burrowed inside of the tree turned into a staircase that led the two Avatar's down into a cave that resided just underneath the large tree.

Openings in the ceiling above provided the only light in this cave. Parts of the tree were growing along the walls of the cave. They were branching on and on along the sharp and jagged walls. As they neared the center of the cave—a large open area with a high ceiling and a very dim light shining from above—they were able to pick up small portions of Koh's angry muttering.

"…gone…find her…get in my way, never…won't lose…mine…._mine_…"

The muttering was clearly heard, but they couldn't seem to find where the gargantuan centipede was hiding among the crevices and cracks along the walls. Kyoshi scanned the walls around her before shouting out.

"Koh!"

One last crash sounded and the walls were visibly shaking. Then, there was absolute silence. The insects scuttling around on the floor could be heard clearly and the air was as still as a statue. The air felt heavier as a quiet chuckle rung out, interrupting the terrible silence. Soon, dozens of clicking noises against the walls was heard. Out of the shadows, Kyoshi was able to see Koh's white face peek out of the darkness as he scuttled along the walls, circling his two guests.

"Well, well, well," Koh said, strangely calm considering his previous rage. "I hardly think you need to shout. Noise tends to carry in here," he chuckled.

"And what are the chances that _two_ Avatars would stumble in here to pay me a visit," he continued.

Kyoshi and Roku remained cautions and expressionless as Koh continued to act like a vulture as he kept circling them along the walls of the cave.

"So now that you've rudely interrupted me…" he said. His footsteps had ceased. He remained still for a couple of seconds before he flung himself face to face with both Avatars, leaving only two inches of space in between. His face had morphed from his regular white painted face to a blue mask which was twisted into an angered scowl.

"…what in the world do you two want!" he screamed.

Kyoshi strained to keep her face from scowling. "You ought to know that there doesn't seem to be a sound barrier surrounding your…abode," she added. "You're disrupting everything and everyone within a mile radius."

Koh scowled as he reverted back to his white face and crawled away, his back facing the other two guests. "How unfortunate. I'm sure they'll survive."

"Is there any reason why creating this entire racket is at all necessary?" Roku asked.

Koh halted in his tracks and slowly turned his head towards Roku and Kyoshi. He put on a fake, pleasant smile and he crawled close to them, circling them on the ground instead of on the walls this time.

"Why don't you tell me?" he asked innocently. "Explain to me, why Toph Bei Fong's presence seems to elude me every time I search for her?"

Kyoshi and Roku remained silent as he continued to crawl around them, his face starting to revert back towards the blue mask.

"Explain to me," he shouted, "how I was able to have her scent, her presence, her _power_, within my radar and then it slipped so easily away from me? Explain how she is now completely invisible almost as if she died? Explain to me how I was so close to finding her—so close to finally achieving what I've been trying to accomplish for well over a decade—and now I'm stuck here like a babbling idiot unable to do anything? I'm completely _blind_!"

His tail had crashed into the wall next to him causing rocks and rubble to fall from the ceiling due to the crash.

Kyoshi shook her head. "Perhaps your powers are failing you slowly."

Koh scoffed loudly. "Please. I've been in the Spirit World thousands of years before you were even born, Miss Kyoshi," he snarled. "Being an ancient spirit such as myself, I think I know how to look for a girl whose energy pours out of her like an overflowing pot." He smirked. "It was hardly difficult before, so why is it so hard to find her now? Care to gander a guess?"

Roku lifted his eyes to look straight at Koh. "We have nothing to do with your business, Koh."

"No I think you know exactly what is going on," he snarled. "In fact, perhaps you would know a little but more about this wouldn't you?" Koh asked, turning his blue face towards Kyoshi.

Kyoshi stood silent. Koh laughed before he turned around and crawled up the walls again.

"The only way this girl could have accomplished something like masking her energy is with the help of a spirit," he concluded. "Now there's absolutely no way that she could have come to the Spirit World because I definitely would have noticed. I'm very sensitive to these kinds of things," he smiled, still turned away.

"So the only way a spirit could have possibly assisted her was if a spirit had manifested itself into the Physical World and helped her. There are only a handful of spirits who can accomplish this. But the only spirits I can think of who would even think of wanting to protect someone such as this girl…"

he paused and brought his face close to the other two Avatar again, his face reverted into his white face again. "…are the Avatars."

"So, the only thing I can think of is that one of you wretched Avatars have been helping this girl stay hidden. And I couldn't help but notice that you've been missing for a couple of days, Kyoshi," he smiled eerily.

"Whatever it is that I'm doing with my free time is none of your concern," she replied harshly.

Koh shook his head. "No, it is my concern when you've taken it upon yourself to take what is rightfully _mine_!"

"The only person that girl belongs to is herself," Roku raised his voice. "You should do well to leave her alone."

Koh laughed heartily and threw his head back. "You think I'm going to stop just because you tell me to? I've got a mission. I'm going to change things. And I need her to do it."

Kyoshi quickly stopped herself from looking puzzled. "What do you mean you're going to change things?"

Koh scowled and turned away. "Nothing. I'm not explaining anything to you two. The last thing I need is more of you coming in here. I'm busy," he finished.

"You're going to be doing an awful lot of explaining once this same girl brings you to your knees," Kyoshi said boldly.

Koh paused for the second time. He stood rooted in the same position turned away from the two Avatars, seemingly thinking over what Kyoshi said. They both had trouble not looking startled, but jumped back in shock as Koh came into their faces with a screeching baboon adorning his face. His white faced reverted back, looking terribly disappointed.

"Shame," Koh muttered. "I guess I'm only good at scaring humans," he reasoned.

"Let me tell you this," Koh whispered dangerously. "You have a sixteen year old girl who thinks that she has any hope against an ancient spirit such as myself?" He chuckled darkly. "You might as well go back and tell her to start signing away everything she owns. Then her beautiful little face will belong to me."

A beautiful Water tribe girl appeared in front of the two Avatars. "After all, I have experience with little girl's like her. Foolish, clumsy, and definitely not at all careful."

"You're not dealing with an ordinary girl," Kyoshi said determinedly. "I can assure you."

"Assure me of whatever you see fit," Koh said offhandedly. "But just know that I'm coming after her as soon as I know where she is. I'll come quietly too. She'll never see me coming."

Koh crawled backwards back into the shadows and into a narrow crevice along the walls, his face slowly being obscured by the darkness that was creeping around him.

He started chuckling to himself. "Ah! I get it now. How could I have forgotten?"

"There was a time that she was completely invisible to me. But would you like to know something?" he asked wickedly. Kyoshi and Roku stayed silent.

He laughed quietly to himself as his white face showed itself yet again. He had a self satisfied look on his face as he tapped one of his thin legs rhythmically on the floor. He looked away and into the shadows of the wall opposite him.

"I hear you can only conceal a person for three days."

Kyoshi's eyes widened and she gasped.

Koh's face whipped around and situated itself two inches away from Kyoshi's face. His eyes grew extremely calculated and curious as he searched Kyoshi's features for anything that could count as a slight emotion. But Kyoshi had fixed her face immediately and it was back to the stoniest, blankest stare she was capable of. Koh tilted his head to get a better angle on her face, but Kyoshi remained unfazed as she stared down Koh just as ruthlessly. Of course, on the inside, she was surely panicking.

"Hm," Koh said, turning around.

"You thought I wouldn't figure it out? You're the only person who could hide her from me. I heard that you can only do it for limited periods of time. I've seen it happen to me before. Many past Avatars thought along similar lines as yourself, Kyoshi. I just can't believe I hadn't considered the possibility sooner."

Koh gritted his teeth. "I'll admit it's terribly frustrating," he ground out. "But it consistently only lasts for three days. I guess that's all you're able to do. So trust me…I'm infuriated that I haven't got her here in my presence yet," he snarled.

"The shield starts fading at around this time. Pretty soon—maybe in about a few hours—she'll start showing up again and I'll be able to sense her. Granted it won't be powerful, but it'll be enough to find her. You won't be able to keep her any longer. I'll make sure that the next time you see me her face will be in my collection."

"You don't know that," Kyoshi said desperately.

Koh laughed. He crawled close to Kyoshi and faced the tunnel leading to the entrance. "You pretend as if you're some all powerful Spirit. But you're just another dead human. You can't even bend here," he said darkly.

"Something like making a person invisible to a being like me is not something that you were meant to be able to do well," Koh explained. "So I know for a fact that even though you meant for me to stay away for three days, she'll actually start appearing gradually sooner than you would like. By midnight tonight, she'll be completely exposed, just like last time."

He turned sharply and tapped one of his legs on the ground in thought. "But I imagine she's gotten stronger. After all, that girl strikes me as one who wouldn't sit down and do nothing. Besides, your behavior is just far too suspicious for me not to believe she's been gaining a significant amount of guidance from you," he spoke towards Kyoshi.

Kyoshi couldn't think of anything else to say. Roku had seen the strain on her face and the worry in her eyes and he decided to ask Koh something himself.

"What on Earth would you need her in the first place? Why is killing her so important to you?"

Koh tilted his head as his face switched to that of an old withered man. His eyes had glazed over almost as if he were remembering an extremely old memory. His forehead was creased in concentration and he had stopped moving altogether. He heaved a great sigh and looked down at the floor.

"I've been around for a long time. I already told you, there are things that I need to change. I've been seeing them for too long and it starts to irritate me after a while."

He brought his eyes slowly lifted and he brought his gaze back to Roku. "That's all."

"That doesn't very well answer the question," Roku pointed out harshly.

Koh scoffed. "Well, unfortunately for you, that's all I'm willing to tell."

Neither of the Avatars had said a word as Koh crawled around the walls of his cave in thought. His legs started clicking louder and louder until they stopped altogether and were replaced with Koh's voice.

"Clearly you're not going to give me anything I want and I'm not going to answer any questions you have. So why don't you do me a favor and, _get out!_" he shouted.

Roku sighed and continued to look forward towards Koh's long body still crawling along the walls of the cave. He turned and allowed his face to show a great amount of frustration and worry. Kyoshi, however, didn't follow and stood rooted in the same position. Roku turned towards her and gestured forward. Clearly it was better than they leave than to bother with Koh anymore if he wasn't going to speak. But Kyoshi took a few steps forward and called out one last question.

"Isn't there any way to change things another way? Isn't there a way that doesn't involve killing this girl?"

His smashing against the walls of the cave were stating up again, although both Roku and Kyoshi figured it was more out of spite than actual frustration anymore. He had disappeared into the shadows of the cave and was no longer visible in the dimly lit cavern. The sounds of his destruction echoed loudly in the cave and it was hard to stand the volume of the noise. But Kyoshi stood rooted in her spot, patiently waiting for an answer to her question.

A sigh could be heard within one of the narrow passages that lined the inside of the cave. Koh's voice echoed out after he ceased his noise for the moment.

"Once I set my mind to a solution, I stick to it. This is about the only one I can think of. And I'm not about to waste away thinking of how to deviate away from it. It's bad enough that I can't even get close to her and that time is simply wasting away…" He smashed some part of his body up against a wall because dust and small rocks were falling from the ceiling after a particularly loud crash was heard from within the walls of the cave.

"…but I told you that she will be mine after today. Maybe she'll even appear before that. Who knows? But I'm not changing plans. Never. I've waited too long for this. I'm finally going to solve something. And I'm going to change things for the better. You'll see."

"How is killing innocent lives for the better?" Roku called out. "What excuse do you have for being a murderer?"

But there was no answer. Koh's steps were gradually disappearing into the deep tunnels of the cave until it was only silence around them. The crashing sounds resonated through the walls again and it was clear that they were no closer to solving anything with him than they were before. Roku allowed his forehead to crease in frustration. He sighed and looked over at Kyoshi who looked much more panicked and worried. She quickly turned around and started to walk back out the other way towards the entrance of the cave.

Roku decided not to press anything on the entire walk back. They passed the jagged walls of the cave until they reached a portion of the tunnel where the path grew rather narrow and tight. Ahead, there was the staircase that led up to the opening of the twisted tree as well as the light flooding in from the outside. Neither said a word as they slowly climbed out of the dark tunnels and caves and back into the bleak realm outside. Roku heard Kyoshi sigh and put her hand on her chin. She looked straight ahead and was lost in thought.

Roku stood next to her and prodded her with a question. "What are you thinking?"

Kyoshi shook her head and turned slightly to stare back at the entrance of the cave. "I'm thinking that's it's not safe to leave him here in the Spirit World without us watching him."

Roku crossed his arms. "Isn't that what we've been doing? You go to the Physical World while I handle him back here. That was the agreement."

Kyoshi nodded and turned back to him. "I know what I said. But he's right. She's not going to be able to stay hidden for long. When I concealed her energy for three days, that was done here and it took a lot of work and concentration to cover her up for so long. I can't do that in the Physical World. If I'm going to protect her until midnight, I'm going to have to stay here. I can't go back and then risk her being unguarded earlier than planned."

"But then that means that—" Roku began.

Kyoshi frowned. "Yes, I know. She needs the preparation. She needs the time to think and get herself together. The last thing we need is for her to be taken by surprise and then we really won't be able to do anything. If I don't do something, her shield will start to weaken. Once he senses even a fraction of her energy he'll come into the Physical World and go on a free for all. And we can't let that happen either."

"So we have to avoid Koh going into the Physical World earlier than Miss Bei Fong has anticipated or else she'll be caught by surprise and then won't be able to protect herself. She'll be at a disadvantage if Koh comes earlier than planned. I understand that," he repeated. "But you can't be seriously suggesting that…"

Kyoshi scowled. "Well what else can I do? It's either that or let her get killed in a surprise attack." She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I need to hide her until sun up the next morning. That way she'll know the three days are over and she'll know what to do. If I don't stay here and shield her than he'll come earlier than that and she won't be able to anticipate anything."

"I didn't think he would have figured out what I was doing," she continued. "But I also didn't think that Avatars in the past have tried this same tactic before. He's probably seen it so many times he knows exactly how it works. He probably knows how to find Miss Bei Fong when her energy is only very weak. That would be enough to find her."

Roku hung his head. He turned back again and saw the hill shake violently because of Koh's doing. He looked worriedly at the amount of power that Koh was exhibiting, almost as if he was proving to Roku and Kyoshi that he could easily get rid of this girl in seconds. He was trying to show that no matter what she did, he didn't have a chance.

Roku sighed. "You'd better go and tell her and hurry back here. You're going to have to put that shield up soon. And you're going to have to keep it up well into tomorrow. That's going to take a lot of energy out of you. You need to be ready."

Kyoshi nodded. "I know that. I just didn't want to do this to her either."

"It's for her own good," he explained, trying to lighten the situation. "You'll be saving her."

Kyoshi started walking ahead of Roku across the foggy ravine and back to the portal that led to the green valley realm they had just left. As they walked through the wooden arch, there were no spirits hanging around to listen to the noise that was still coming from the other side of the porthole. Kyoshi waked ahead without thinking, knowing exactly where she had to go in order to leave for the Physical World again. Roku had stayed behind, intent on leaving Kyoshi to explain the situation by herself. He didn't feel that his arrival would help the situation at all. He almost missed what Kyoshi had said to him over her shoulder.

"What was that Kyoshi?"

He saw her shoulders lift and then drop as she breathed out a large sigh. For the first time in his existence, he saw that Kyoshi's shoulders were dropped slightly, she wasn't trying to stand tall, and her voice was filled with nothing at all like determination. She turned her head lamely at Roku but was very careful to not meet his eyes.

"I broke my promise to her. I said I'd help her," she said.

"You are helping her," Roku assured.

Kyoshi nodded. "I suppose."

She let her head drop slightly and started to walk back towards the porthole that led to the Physical World. But not before turning back to Roku and leaving him with one last statement.

"But if this girl dies, I know it'll be my fault."

* * *

"Come on, one more time!"

Aang sighed. "Toph, I've been throwing things at you for five hours. _I'm_ tired."

Toph shook off his statement. "Doesn't matter. I need to practice. Come _on!_"

"Toph, please? Just half an hour."

"Hurry up, Twinkle Toes!"

Aang groaned. He cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders which were already sore and cramped from the amount of bending and exercise he had been doing. He didn't know how Toph was so energetic and he didn't even want to know _where_ she was getting all of this extra energy from. It was downright impossible and it didn't make sense that she was still up and willing to bend after being up since morning.

He rolled his eyes before he breathed out and found his concentration. In an instant, his arrows started to glow a pale blue as well as his eyes. He brought his arm forward in a punch and sent a large jet of fire directly towards Toph's face.

Toph, already completely accustomed to her powers due to the excessive amounts of training for the past two days, easily was able to focus enough to cause her eyes to glow a bright green. She felt Aang's feet shift as he punched forward and heard the crackling of the fire as it hurtled toward her at an incredible speed, thanks to Aang's Avatar State. She snapped her arms forward and blocked the gigantic jet of fire with a stone wall that was at least four feet over her head. She quickly sunk it back into the ground and readied herself again.

Aang did a combination of quick kicks and punches and let out dozens of flames that would have made Zuko very proud. They all traveled quickly towards Toph, but she was able to block every single one as she brought up large rocks and boulders to absorb the flames. It seemed that they were both attacking a lot more quickly than usual. Had there been anyone in the room with them, the entirety of this small exchange probably would have lasted about eight seconds. Aang had figured he would be more of a match for Toph if he had sparred with her while in the Avatar State.

Toph wasn't counting exactly how long Aang had been throwing hot flames at her, but it couldn't have been long because Aang had immediately stopped glowing after he had sent a particularly large path of fire in Toph's direction. He got out of his Firebending stance and crossed his arms in front of him. Toph's eyes were still glowing and she was still in her stance, clearly waiting for another attack. But it didn't come. Aang was still standing there with a scowl on his face.

Toph rolled her eyes and got out of her Earthbending stance, her eyes reverting back to their pale green color. "What's the matter? Throw something at me!"

"You're crazy, Toph," Aang called back to her. He started walking forward to stand in front of her. "We have been down here for _hours_. The others left to go eat ages ago. And they are going to stay up there for at least another hour because they actually _eat_ when food is given to them. You on the other hand intend to starve if it means that you can train for a few more hours."

Toph's mouth hung open and pointed her finger into his chest. "That's not true."

Aang grabbed her finger and pulled it away from him. "Oh, isn't it? Tell me, Toph. When was the last time you ate something?"

Toph opened her mouth as she glared at him, but quickly closed them as she shifted her eyes to the side. She dropped her finger and put her hand under her chin. Her nose crinkled up as she turned away from him and didn't say a word. Aang leaned to the side to try and get a look at her face, but her bangs were blocking his view.

"Well?"

"I'm thinking!" she shouted.

Aang laughed. "The fact that you even have to think is proof enough."

Aang reached forward and grabbed her shoulder. He turned her around and let her arms drop to her sides. He lifted her chin up and stared straight at her. "Will you please listen to me? I don't need you dying of hunger. Can't you just go eat something?"

She shook her head stubbornly. "No, I have to stay here and practice."

"You won't even go for me?" he said, pretending to pout.

Toph scoffed and pulled her head away from him. "Don't pull that. And I know you're pouting."

"Seriously, Toph," he started, "you need to go and eat something. If you stress yourself out too much you're not going to be ready. Trust me, I know. I was hallucinating before I had to fight the Fire Lord, for Spirit's sake. And I was training into the night thinking that I needed to. You're acting obsessed." He tapped his finger against the side of her skull for emphasis.

"At least I'll be prepared," she argued.

Aang shook his head. "Nope. You won't be prepared once you pass out from exhaustion right in front of your enemy."

"I'm not going to pass out. And I'm not going to get obsessed."

Aang gaped at her. "You're not going to _get_ obsesses because you already _are_ obsessed."

"Stop being smart, okay? It's not cute."

Aang smirked. "Oh, so now I'm cute?"

Toph blushed and punched him on the shoulder. His eyes popped out of his head as he immediately grabbed his arm and bit his lip to stifle his scream of pain. "Shut up!"

He lifted a hand in defeat. "Alright, I got it."

Toph frowned and ran her fingers through her hair. "Sorry," she muttered. "I'm just a little nervous. I mean, it's mid afternoon and Kyoshi isn't even here yet. She always comes at sun up and she still hasn't gotten here yet. I'm running out of time and if she needs to show some last-minute-super-crazy-cosmic secret that I need to know, it's going to be too late."

Aang nodded, still bent over due to Toph's punch. "Maybe she had something come up in the Spirit World. I told you before, I tried to contact her, but she isn't showing herself to me. It's almost like she's preoccupied and the connection is blocked."

"But this is important. Don't you think she would have at least told us if something came up? That's why I think something's wrong," she continued.

Aang shook his head. "Don't worry too much, alright? She'll probably come later on and then you'll have nothing to worry about. But if you keep worrying like this you're going to freak yourself out and then you won't be able to focus on what you have to do."

"I know I shouldn't stress, but I can't help it. He'll start coming after me again tomorrow."

Aang sighed. "Stop thinking about that. I told you that we're going to cover for you and protect you no matter what. You're not going to have to worry about anything. And the six of us are going to fight Koh together, side by side. You don't have to worry about not being ready of prepared. We've got you okay?"

Toph nodded. "I know, I know. I'm sorry for stressing. But I'm just worried. It's not something I can help, you know?"

Aang nodded, his thoughts traveling back to the time he started freaking out when he thought he had to fight the Fire Lord.

"I just hope she comes soon. She promised she'd come today and she didn't. That's what's worrying me."

"But worrying yourself to the point that you can't do anything else isn't good, you know that right?"

Toph nodded and sent a guilty look towards Aang.

"Look," Aang continued, rubbing his shoulder. "How about I run and get you some dumplings or something? Then you can stay here and train until I get back. But then you have to eat whatever I give you, alright?"

Toph frowned and crossed her arms in from of her. "Fine," she grumbled.

"Good." He reached forward and kissed her on the top of her head and ran out of the arena and towards the dining room where everyone else in the palace was probably having an early lunch.

"Don't worry, alright?" he called over his shoulder. "You'll be fine. _I_ promise, okay?"

She smiled back at him and waved at him to go on and leave. She felt him run up the stairs and down the hallway towards the dining room, leaving her alone in the arena. She smirked. "Dork," she muttered.

She fell backwards until she collided with the ground and was laying on her back. It was almost sweet the way he was telling her not to worry. And she knew that she shouldn't. Worse comes to worse, Aang was there for her and she didn't need anyone else. And the way he was always taking care of her and making sure that she was doing things as little as eating when she was supposed to was enough to make her close her eyes and forget for a few minutes while she waited for Aang to get her food.

Toph sometimes didn't understand why he took such good care of her. Not that she was complaining, but she never had anyone be that sweet to her and show so much attention. It made her feel guilty that she was worrying so much in front of him. He was only trying to help and the least she could do was calm down so that he could do his job and protect her.

"He's right. I need to relax," she said to herself. Now that she was sitting still, she felt how weak her joints were and she felt how tired and sore her muscles were. They had been training ever since Toph had noticed that Kyoshi had not shown up. She supposed he was right: maybe she was freaking out too much.

She let her eyes stay closed as she let her mind wander to things that had nothing to do with Koh and Kyoshi and training. She remembered that time that she, Katara, and Sokka had gone through all of the trouble to create a place for Aang to just relax and not think about fighting the Fire Lord and just get some sleep. Granted they had to shear a few koala sheep to make it work, but it was worth it. He had managed it in the end. He had beaten the Fire Lord because he was calm, collected, and ready. And that's what she needed to do. Stay calm, collected, and ready.

She wasn't sure if she had actually fallen asleep, but she suddenly snapped her eyes open and felt a presence near her. She tapped her foot on the ground as she sat up, but didn't feel anything on the ground around her. In fact, there were no vibrations anywhere near here. But she had the strangest feeling that there was someone near her and that they were extremely close by. She stood up on her feet and checked the area for vibrations again before she was convinced there were none.

"Hello?" she called.

A voice answered from a few feet in front of her. "Miss Bei Fong?"

"Kyoshi!" she gasped.

"Good to see you're alright," Kyoshi answered.

"Where have you been?" Toph asked quickly. "I thought something had happened to you. I mean, I thought something went wrong. But thank the Spirits you're here."

"Miss Bei Fong, I need to tell you something—"

"Do you think we can spar for just a little bit?" she asked, completely relieved. "Aang went to get me some food but I think it's okay if we take a few minutes to practice."

"We can't."

Toph frowned and lifted a brow. "Why not?"

Toph had just realized how out of breath and panicked Kyoshi's voice had sounded before. She had never heard her speak like that. She always spoke in a tone that was a mixture of conceit and pride. She was always formal and important sounding whenever she talked. It was authoritative. But now she sounded worried and…afraid? Toph wasn't sure. But there something offsetting about the way Kyoshi sounded.

"What's the matter?" Toph asked.

Kyoshi sighed. "I just want you to know that I tried everything that I could. I never meant for this to happen this way and I'm sorry that I can't do more."

Toph's eyes widened. "Hey, you're freaking me out. What the heck happened?"

Kyoshi said nothing for a moment and Toph waited patiently for a response. Kyoshi breathed out before she spoke.

"There's been a change of plans."

Toph looked confused. "What do you mean a change of plans? What's going on?" she asked frantically.

"You're training has been cut short," she blurted out. "I can't stay in the Physical World with you anymore."

* * *

**A/N: Finally. Things are going to start picking up a little bit. There are only a few chapters left. We're almost done!**

**Please. Don't run away. If you read this, please review, no matter who you are. It takes two minutes to click the button and leave a review. Even one word is fine. But please, don't leave without saying something. I would really appreciate it. Reviews are something I cherish. So thank you in advance. **


	21. Time for Plan B

**A/N: Fanfiction hates me. Just when I think I'm going to post early, the website screws up. And it only happened to me apparently because all my other friends posted their chapters no problem. *sigh* Well, at least I got it up the next day right?**

**By the way, thanks to Bumblemark for correcting my stupid mistakes in the last chapter. They should be fixed now...I think. Unless I missed one. *goes back to check*****

* * *

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Chapter 21

Toph blinked. "W-What?"

"I'm sorry," Kyoshi pleaded. "But I can't train you anymore."

Toph backed away slightly. She shook her head violently. "No. You can't be serious. I-I'm not even ready; it's only been two days. How can I be ready after only practicing for two days!"

"Don't think that you aren't ready," Kyoshi scolded, finding her old voice again. "I've seen the way that you've been progressing and you've learned a lot."

"Yes, but it isn't enough!" Toph shouted back. "You said it yourself. This is a spirit. I don't stand a chance unless I'm amazing. I only just got a handle on things. How do you expect me to go on like this?"

Toph was about to go into hysterics. Her heart was racing in panic and her mind was plaguing her with images of all the possible scenarios of how things could go wrong from here. She thought back to Aang's words before of needing to be calm and needing to relax and focus. But that was back when she thought that Kyoshi was still going to come. She was going to teach her so much today. And now Toph was left in the dark all over again.

"You promised me you were going to help," Toph forced out while gritting her teeth. "You said you were going train me for three days. Why isn't that happening anymore?"

"Things have gone wrong, I told you," Kyoshi repeated desperately. "Don't think that I'm abandoning you because I lost interest or I was not committed. I realize that I may have been acting selfish in the beginning, but I swore to myself that I wouldn't let another person get snatched by that monster. I'm not going to let you die, and I'm going to try everything I can to assure that. Please, you simply have to trust me."

Toph wished she could see the determination flashing in Kyoshi's eyes. She imagined it would've have been a touching sight. But even so, her words brought a new wave of comfort, even though Toph still failed to see the happy ending after all of this.

Kyoshi never struck her as a liar, even though she couldn't feel her vibrations to officially tell. But something must have really gone wrong for her to break a promise like this.

"What happened in the Spirit World since yesterday?" Toph asked carefully.

She didn't hear Kyoshi speak for a few seconds. It was similar to the way her doctor paused before he told her parents' she had gotten a terrible fever as a baby and probably wouldn't last through the cold months. Her mother told her that he was physically straining to find the most delicate way to explain something so difficult to hear, but that sometimes it was better to hear the entire truth than for people to tip toe around it.

"Koh is about an hour away from finding you."

It was the first time in her life that Toph was rendered entirely motionless. She couldn't move her mouth to make another comment. Her feet weren't moving. Her heart nearly stopped, and her ears only barely picked up the rest of Kyoshi's explanation.

"I know. I told you that I would protect you for three days," Kyoshi continued to explain. "It was a shield that I put up around you to shield your energy. It starts to fade at around this time on the third day, but it fades in very small amounts. Only extremely small bits of your presence would be detectable to anybody. I didn't think that Koh would be able to find you when your energy was so weak so I decided this was the best thing for you."

Kyoshi let out another great sigh. "It seems that this has been done before. Apparently, a number of your past lives were protected by the Avatar's past lives as well. So like me, they concealed as many of your past lives as they could so that they wouldn't be found or so that they could escape to another part of the world and be safe. Koh has seen this done thousands of times. He is apparently so used to searching for these girls when their energy is so low that once your power starts fading today, he might still be able to find you."

"There's of course a good chance that he's lying," Kyoshi snarled. "But then again, there's also no reason to not take him seriously. And by the way he's been making trouble in the Spirit World lately, and by the way he spoke to me, I don't have any grounds to say that he isn't telling the truth."

"Wait," Toph said hoarsely. "I still don't understand why you're leaving." She could hardly tell that her voice was starting to shake.

"I can't leave you only an hour of free time," Kyoshi continued. "I'm going to have to keep up a continuous shield for you in the meantime. But it's requires so much energy that I cannot do it in the Physical World. It has to be done in the Spirit World for it to be as powerful as I can make it. I'll be able to hold up a shield continuously until sunrise the next morning."

"But...if Koh finds out what I'm doing…there may be problems with this plan."

"But please know," she rushed out desperately as soon as she saw Toph's face contort into even more shock, "I'm going to try my best. I'm going to hold out as long as I can. Remember, I'll try to keep you hidden until sun up if I can. I'm going to desperately try. But you have to trust me: I don't mean to abandon you. I'm going to try my best."

Toph shook her head slowly this time. "This is crazy. This is insane, what am I supposed to do now? How am I supposed to get ready? How am I even going to know what to do?"

Kyoshi's mouth opened to say more, but she quickly halted what she was about to say. Toph figured that she was probably risking it to be here now. After all, she did just say Koh would be here in an hour.

"I have to go," Kyoshi said apologetically. "If I stay any longer there won't be time to put up another shield for you before this one starts to fade."

Toph felt a ghostly presence on her shoulder. It wasn't real, but it felt like Kyoshi had probably put her hand on top of Toph's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I can't stay here with you," she apologized. "But I would just like you to know…that you have learned enough to hold your own. You can do this. You just need a little faith, alright? But…I am sorry that I couldn't help you more."

Kyoshi's removed her hand from Toph's shoulder. Toph's eyes widened and she stepped forward a few steps.

"Wait a minute, don't go!" she pleaded. "What am I supposed to do?"

Kyoshi paused again, this time it seemed like she was actually thinking and looking for an answer. Toph felt that presence that always seemed to around Kyoshi whenever she was here start to fade considerably. Toph felt panicked. She was leaving. She was really leaving.

"Maybe you should try asking yourself that question. You have more answers than you think," Kyoshi said.

"I'm sorry," Kyoshi said miserably before she disappeared. "Miss Bei Fong…I'm really very sorry."

And then she was gone. Toph didn't feel any vibrations, Kyoshi wasn't speaking anymore, and it seemed that there was no one else in the room with her. She was alone and the only difference from before is that now she was alone without a teacher. The severity of the situation started to dawn on her in small moments. Soon enough she felt the full blow of what just happened.

She had no more preparation in her arsenal. Whatever she had learned from Kyoshi would be all that she would know. Despite Kyoshi's harsh and desperate promises, there was no guarantee that this new shield of hers would last until sun up. If Koh found out what Kyoshi was doing before sun up came along, then there was a good chance that Koh would appear right on Bumi's doorstep before sun up as well. She was completely in the dark. There was no way of telling when Koh was coming for sure and there was no way for her to learn anything else. She was done. This was all she had. There was no learning or finding out anymore. There was no more security.

She had officially run out of time.

"Hey," Aang called from the doorway of the arena, appearing to have returned from the dining room. "I grabbed one of everything. It was all Earth Kingdom food so there shouldn't be any Water Tribe surprises in any of these…"

He was huffing and puffing out of breath, probably holding the bundle of food that he had promised her. She didn't know why, but something about Aang coming into the room made that pressure that was building up behind her eyes this whole time finally break loose. She didn't sob, and she didn't make a sound. But she let a good number of tears fall down her cheeks.

Toph didn't' cry. Except for a few occasions, she never let anyone see her cry. The fact that she was doing it so freely in front of Aang made him rush over and grab her shoulders. He bent down to try and see into her eyes and saw them overflowing with tears. She reluctantly looked up at him and tried her hardest not to let out a sob.

She could feel Aang staring at her intently now. "What happened? What's the matter?" he asked worriedly.

She sniffed and shook her head. She couldn't speak.

"Come on, Toph," he pleaded. "You have to tell me what's wrong. You're crying, what's the matter?"

She still didn't say anything. Aang lifted her head again and held her face in between his hands.

"Hey listen to me," he said seriously. "You were perfectly fine when I left and now you're crying. Tell me what happened to you. Did someone come in here and say something to you? Are you hurt? What?"

Toph brought a hand up and wiped the tears from her eyes and cleared her throat so that she could speak. She gave Aang a miserable looking stare and choked out a response.

"I have to tell you all something."

"So she's gone!" Suki shouted.

Toph nodded lamely. She shifted uncomfortable on her seat placed in front of the dining room table. "She apologized so many times, so I know she didn't mean for any of this to go wrong. But…yeah. She's gone."

"But wait," Zuko said, sitting somewhere on her right. "How do you know that you even have until sunrise the next morning…did she…?"

"She didn't make it sound definite," Toph explained. "She said she would try, but if Koh figured out any funny business from her, my deadline might be a little earlier than intended."

"So we have no idea, basically, when this bug is coming?" Sokka asked angrily.

Toph nodded again. "That's one way to put it."

"This is insanity," Katara exclaimed, horrified. "How are we supposed to prepare for something when we don't know when it's coming?"

"Look, the worst thing to do right now is panic," Aang said, trying as best he could to lighten the situation. "We have to take this a little bit at a time and go through what we plan to do slowly. If we can't do that, then we really will be caught in the dark with no way to defend ourselves."

"Well what are we supposed to do, now?" Toph said hysterically. "We're basically trapped in a cage in a dark room where we can't see the exit."

"Well for starters," Aang began, "you're not staying by yourself anymore."

Toph turned to her left to face Aang. "What?"

"He's right Toph," Katara agreed. "Remember the last time Koh came to you? You hallucinated to the point that you thought he was coming after you. The last thing you need is to be at some random location in the palace by yourself where we can't get to you. You should be with someone at all times."

"Maybe she should sleep with someone else too," Suki offered. "You know, she shouldn't be in her room by herself. Maybe someone can sleep on the floor next to her to keep watch. We can bring blankets over."

"I'll do it," Aang volunteered immediately. "I've actually come face to face with him before. It's definitely not much, but at least he won't take me by surprise if he happens to show up at night."

Sokka nodded. "Alright. Living arrangements are set. Now how about we figure out how we are going to kill this thing?" he said loudly.

"I don't think you can kill a spirit though…" Suki said. "…can you?"

Zuko shook his head. "Nope. They're immortal beings. There's no killing them. But there has to be a way to stabilize them. You know, make sure they don't cause any trouble."

"Only really powerful spirits can subdue other spirits," Aang explained. "And no one in the Spirit World is going to want to have anything to do with Koh."

"Besides," he added, "what are the chances of finding a spirit _now_ that would be willing to do something? Very low. And even if we did manage to find a spirit to help us, Koh is ancient. He's one of the oldest spirits in the Spirit World. He's probably stronger than a great deal of anyone that's there."

"So then we're stuck," Sokka complained. "How are we supposed to fight an all powerful spirit if we don't even know what the heck to do with it once it's in front of us?"

"Didn't Avatar Kyoshi tell you anything about this?" Katara asked.

Toph shook her head. "Not really. She started talking in riddle's when I asked her what I was supposed to do. She just said that I should ask myself and that I knew everything I needed to know. Does that help anyone?"

"Not in the slightest," Suki said. "I don't know what she's talking about either."

"But that doesn't mean we can't rough him up a little bit right?" Sokka asked. "I mean just because we don't know how to permanently stop him yet, that doesn't mean that we can't at least defend ourselves from him…right?"

"Right," Zuko agreed. "Regardless of what we don't know, we should at least come up with _something_. It wouldn't make sense to just improvise."

"Well," Aang began, "I think it's safe to say that Koh will go wherever Toph is. So there's a good chance that he'd come to Bumi's palace, right?"

"But maybe that's not such a good idea," said Zuko. "I mean, this is in the middle of Omashu. Bringing a fight here isn't such a good idea. That would be endangering more lives than necessary. We probably shouldn't even be here in the morning. I think our stay is over as of today."

"But where do we go?" asked Katara. "There aren't a lot of places near here that are abandoned to the point that no one would get hurt or be able to hear us."

"The only place that I can think of that's deserted enough for a fight and close enough to the palace so that we won't have to waste our time traveling far is that town that Koh had hit a couple of weeks ago," Aang suggested.

"Wait, you mean the town that we saw him in first?" Toph asked.

"That's the one," Aang nodded.

"It might work," Sokka agreed. "There's a lot of open ground in the middle of the town. Plus with all of those abandoned buildings, we'd have all the hiding places in the world while that big thing will be stuck out in the open ready to get hit. It'll be perfect terrain for us. Besides, that town is so stuck in the middle of the woods, no one would even think of coming over there to see what's going on."

"Are you sure?" Suki asked him.

"Totally. I mean he's got to face four bending masters…and of course two of the best warriors this world has to offer," Sokka smiled proudly. "Worse comes to worse, me and Suki will be able to distract him and lead him anywhere in that town while you four pop out and do your bending magic."

Katara nodded. "Well, it sounds like a good plan," she began. "But again, it's not going to work unless we know what to do after we have him incapacitated."

"I don't know what we could do," Aang confessed. "Spirits always get their powers back when they return to the Spirit World, though I'm not really sure quite how that works. Unless there's a way to make sure that he doesn't return to his regular strength once he's in the Spirit World, fighting him will be useless."

"So we're back to square one," Toph muttered. "We know how to beat him, but we don't know how to make sure he stays beaten."

"Not a lot of people know how Koh works," Aang explained. "One of my past lives had battled Koh before, but he failed easily. He had the same problem we did. He couldn't figure out how to permanently end him."

"Isn't there anyone else we can ask that's met Koh before? Anyone that's had even a single encounter?" Toph asked him.

"None that I can think of. They'd need to know how to stop him permanently. I can't think of a single person who would know how to do that."

"We really are stuck," Katara muttered.

"Can't you look around the Spirit World for help?" Suki asked Aang.

"I suppose, but I don't think it would be such a great idea," he answered. "Koh would probably know when I entered the Spirit World. I don't think it would be smart to hang around there for too long anyway."

Sokka groaned. "How are going to do this? We've got nothing!"

Zuko held up a hand. "Don't panic. That's the last thing we need right now."

"Zuko's right," Katara agreed. "We've got all day. I'm sure that Kyoshi is trying her best to protect you right now, Toph. We just need to keep thinking."

Aang nodded and stood up from his chair. "Why don't we all pack up as of now?" Aang suggested. "That way, if need be, we can pick up and leave at any time. Sound good?"

"I agree. I'll go let Bumi what our plan is," Katara offered. "It's only fair that he knows, right?"

"How about we meet back here in an hour? We'll come up with a more in depth plan then," Aang offered.

"Fine. But everyone, don't take too long. We need as much time to prepare as we can. He can come at any time," Zuko announced.

"I'll go with Katara," Sokka offered.

"I'll pack up your things, alright?" Suki said to the both of them.

"Thanks," Katara smiled. She grabbed her brother's arm and led him outside one of the many doors that led outside of the dining and towards the hallway that led to Bumi's throne room.

Zuko sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I should probably send a messenger hawk to Uncle," he said. "Let him know that things might get a little hectic. Who knows, I might be getting back to the Fire Palace later than expected."

"You can't stay away from the country too long, can you?" Suki guessed.

Zuko shook his head in response. "People will think that I'm 'avoiding my duties as Fire Lord.' I told Uncle I wouldn't be gone long. But I'll have to have him stall for a little bit longer. Who knows how long we're going to be on the run from this thing?"

"How long can he cover for you before people start to have issues?" Toph asked.

"Not very long," he answered. "If I'm not back by the end of this week, I'll be hearing it from the Fire Sages. They'll think I'm not doing my job properly."

"Well, then we better come up with something fast," Suki suggested. "The faster this finishes, the better it is for all of us."

She turned to Toph at that moment. She was sitting on the edge of the dining table. She had one foot propped on the edge in front of her and she was resting her chin on top of her knee with her arms wrapped around her leg. She was looking down at the floor the entire time they were talking and she didn't move from that position ever since she had gotten here in the first place.

"You alright, Toph?" she asked.

Toph nodded as she looked slightly past Suki. "I'll be alright."

"We'd better hurry up and get ready," Zuko said. "I'll see you all back here in an hour."

"Me too," Suki said, following Zuko out of another door different from the one Katara and Sokka exited from. "Don't worry Toph. We'll figure this out."

The door shut with a loud bang and left the room feeling terribly empty. Toph sighed and wrapped her arms tighter around her leg. She wasn't about to cry again because it wasn't going to help the situation. It was bad enough that she had cried in front of Aang already so she wasn't about to do it again. Besides, there was nothing to cry about anymore. There were just a lot of things to think about instead.

She felt Aang hop on the table next to her and wrap his arm around her shoulders. Toph let her leg drop form the table and hang over the edge while she let her head lean against Aang's shoulder. He started rubbing her arm up and down and kissed her on the top of the head a few times. She smiled at the comfort and let herself bring her thoughts together. He started to rock her back and forth as if to tell her that he was there if she needed any comfort. And she was grateful for it.

"You believe me, don't you?" Aang asked her.

"What do you mean?" she replied.

"I'm going to protect you. No matter what happens, I'm going to save you. Nothing bad is going to happen to you and we are going to walk away from this unscathed and safe," he assured determinedly. "You just have to trust me, okay?"

She nodded. "I do trust you. Don't worry."

"I just don't know what to think anymore," she said. "Everything seems to be going wrong lately. Once I think that I'm safe, things go terribly wrong. Once something good comes along, something else comes to mess it up." She thought back to the time where Aang asked her to be his Earthbending teacher, only to have her parents send him away. She remembered the time she got a letter from her mother, saying she understood everything, only to be kidnapped a short time after. And now this. Aang had helped her get out of her parents house and she had started liking him. _Really_ liking him. And then this mess with the Face Stealer had started up again. "It happens every time."

"But we're going to fix this, I swear," Aang assured her, hugging her closer. "I'm not going to let this get to you. I'm going to help you."

Toph shook her head. "Why are you always so optimistic? Hasn't it ever occurred to that things aren't always a happy ending?"

"It's not optimism," he explained. "It's determination. And there's no such thing as a bad ending. A bad ending is just a story that hasn't reached its happy ending yet."

Toph smiled lightly. "I don't know. Something about the things that you say make it seem like everything's going to be alright."

"That's because everything _is_ going to be alright," he promised. "I don't think I'm going to save you, I _know_ I am. I don't think we're going to stop Koh, I _know_ we are. We just have to figure out how first."

Without thinking, Toph reached up and kissed his cheek. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and let her head rest in the crook of his neck. She breathed out and made him shiver. She laughed.

"Sorry," she chuckled.

"S'okay," Aang answered.

"Don't you wish things could just stay like this?" Toph asked quietly. "Then you won't have to think about how bad things got."

Aang nodded. "I know."

"I mean to think things were going so well before. You don't know how good it felt to be riding on Appa with you again without a care in the world. That's the only time I can think of where I'm actually pretty happy," she said.

"Well, I think Appa would be happy to hear that," he laughed.

Toph smiled. "I'm sorry for freaking earlier."

Aang shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he assured. "You're allowed to get scared once in a while."

Toph lifted her head and stared in his direction. "I wasn't scared."

Aang rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Lying to me is one thing, Toph, but don't lie to yourself. It's not wrong to get scared, you know. It proves that you're human."

"Are you scared?" she asked.

Aang shrugged. "I wouldn't say I'm scared. But I'm definitely worried. I don't know what's going to happen next either."

Toph looked down in silence. She felt Aang turn her head slightly and felt him place a sweet kiss on her lips. She closed her eyes until he pulled away and heard his voice afterwards.

"I don't want anything to happen to you," he told her. "And my worry is that something will."

"But remember what you said," she smiled. "You said you'd come and save me no matter what."

He nodded. "I know. And I swore that I will. But if that thing even touches you…" he growled.

"He's not going to," Toph promised. "And if he tries, he'll hear it from me. I don't go down without a fight. And if it's a fight this thing wants, it's a fight he's gonna get."

Aang chuckled. "See? And to think you were freaking out only a few minutes ago."

"Don't worry," Aang assured her, squeezing her to him a little tighter. "We'll figure out what to do with him. After all, there has to be someone I can ask for help."

"Yeah, like the thousands of little ghosts that live inside of you," she joked.

"You do know that those _ghosts_ happen to be me, right?" he said.

Toph shrugged. "Same difference."

Aang nodded in thought. "I think you're right though. One of my past lives should know something, hopefully. After all, they do live in the Spirit World. Maybe they know where we can trap Koh or something."

Toph laughed. "Yeah. Maybe we can trap him in a nice little cage and give him an eternal time out."

Aang shook his head. "I doubt they have that."

"But it would be funny," she shrugged.

"Yeah I guess."

"So, who would know something? Any ideas?" she asked.

Aang shrugged. "I don't know. I'll have to ask them one by one. I've only spoken to a few of them. Maybe I can go back further and speak to some of my older past lives. I might actually have more answers than I think."

Toph froze.

"_What am I supposed to do?"_

"_Maybe you should try asking yourself that question. You have more answers than you think."_

"Say that again," Toph asked suddenly.

"Um…what?"

"What was it that you just said?" she asked seriously.

Aang looked at Toph strangely but answered her question regardless. "I just said that I could talk to some of my other past lives that I haven't seen before."

Toph shook her head violently. "No, after that!"

Aang was confused, but he ignored the feeling. Toph seemed serious. "Um…I might know more than I think?"

"That's what Kyoshi said to me before she disappeared. She said I know what I need to know," she said excitedly.

"Well, what is that?" Aang asked.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "But it has to be important. Something that we can use to our advantage. A weakness, a tactic, a place, a weapon, _something_."

Aang stood up from the table and stood right in front of Toph who was thinking excitedly. He tilted his head in confusion at her epiphany. "What in the world are you thinking? Can you please explain to me what you're talking about?"

Toph slapped his shoulder. "Pay attention! I said that I know what we need to bring Koh down."

"Well, then why didn't you tell us?" Aang asked.

"Well…_I_ don't know. But I'm pretty sure another me knows."

Aang stared at her with a stupidly confused look on his face. Then his eyes widened and he smiled at her idea. He snapped his fingers as if he just got a brilliant idea.

"I get what you're saying!" he said.

Toph nodded. "That's why I need your help."

Aang got confused all over again. "Pardon?"

"I need you to teach me how I can speak with one of my past lives."

* * *

**A/N: Meh, kind of short, but the next one should be a lot longer. **

**And don't worry. There will be fluff coming. Aang's sleeping in Toph's room remember? *smiles at the possibilities of this situation* And Aang's determined talk of "I'll save you no matter what?" That will be put to the test. So yes, there will be Taang in the future. A lot of it. And fairly soon. **

**Review, please, please, please. You make me happy when you do. Thanks. **


	22. Ummi

**Chapter 22**

The way Toph had figured it, most of the spirits were either far too afraid of Koh to want to have anything to do with him or they only knew enough information about to him to be able to make it out of his lair alive. Even Aang had said that a past Avatar had tried and failed to defeat Koh and knew nothing about the proper method to do so. They were extremely limited in their options mainly because people just didn't want anything to do with him. That was their main problem.

But according to Roku, Koh had been hunting down the Avatar's lover for years and years. If there was a group of spirits that knew anything about this Face Stealer, it was the group of women that Koh had been searching a good portion of his life for. Since nearly all of them were being pursued by a homicidal spirit, chances were that at least one of them knew something. And Roku did mention that Kyoshi would teach her how to speak with her past lives similar to the way the Avatar could. Since Kyoshi was currently not an option, Toph only had one other person to help.

"You're not relaxing."

Toph groaned. "I am relaxing. I've been relaxing for the past twenty minutes."

She felt a hand cover her own. "Look. You're drumming your fingers against your knee. That's not relaxing."

"So what, am I supposed to stay _completely_ motionless?"

"Yes, that's the whole point of meditation."

Toph groaned again and leaned back until she was flat on the ground. "How is it physically possible to stay totally and completely motionless for so long? Is that even normal?"

"It's completely normal," Aang assured. "The key is clearing your head of unnecessary thoughts, removing the tension from your body, and focusing on nothing but your breathing. If you can do all that, you'll be meditating in no time."

Toph furrowed her brow. "That sounds deathly boring."

Aang sounded affronted. "No, it isn't. It's extremely enlightening and very relaxing."

"Well of course it is…for _you_. You're a monk. You've been doing this kind of thing since you were little."

"That doesn't mean that you can't do it either," Aang said with a grin. He nudged her shoulder slightly with the side of his foot to try and coax her back up into a sitting position. But she was adamant and stubborn and told him with a stern stare that she wasn't moving.

Toph exaggerated a large sigh. She had been sitting cross legged in some random, abandoned room in Bumi's palace ever since she came up with the absolutely brilliant idea of having Aang teach her how to get in touch with her past lives—though she considered them more of multiple ghostly personalities. Toph was not one to sit still, she definitely wasn't one to stop her mind from thinking about anything, and she was not at all patient enough to solely focus on something as mundane as breathing in and out, in and out, in and out, over and over again.

But Aang insisted that she had to be calm and concentrated to do something as difficult as getting in touch with people from the Spirit World. Apparently, Aang had dutifully reminded her that while she had past lives, she had no Spirit Worldly powers. She couldn't talk to anyone unless she had help from the Avatar himself. Simple contact would do, he said. But she still had to be concentrating and she still had to be focused.

Hence, the current problem.

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I'm not cut out for meditating?" Toph offered, picking at her fingernails.

Aang sighed and sat down in a chair near a desk against the wall of the room. He rested his chin in his hand. "Everyone can meditate. Whether or not they're willing to _sit still_ for a few minutes is all up to that person."

Toph glared in Aang's direction and pursed her lips. "What happened to a 'positive teaching experience'?"

Aang rolled his eyes and snorted. "Please, you didn't go easy on me. Why should I go easy on you?"

"Because you're a pacifist monk who's supposed to be fun loving and nice."

Aang shrugged and smirked. "That was years ago. A new dawn, a new day. I'm getting revenge." He crossed his arms for emphasis and settled himself in his chair, looking terribly smug and arrogant.

Toph narrowed her eyes and sent an icy glare towards Aang's shoulder. This was bad. She was starting rub off on him way too much. And here she was afraid she was slowly picking up Aang's habits. She shook her head. It was like the universe was turning upside down and nothing was making any kind of sense. Next thing she'll know, Sokka will be bursting through the doors quoting philosophers and eating with his mouth closed.

"I'm glad that my frustration and failure is amusing to you," she deadpanned.

"Oh, stop it. I'm only teasing," he laughed.

Toph turned her head away from his and huffed. Aang grinned lightly and stood up from his chair to try and pull Toph up from her position on the floor. She seemed to be so set with keeping herself on the floor that even when he started pulling on her arms to sit her up, Toph remained on the ground exactly where she had fallen.

She heard Aang suck his teeth and he let her arms drop limply on her stomach with a nice hollow sound. She didn't move and kept her head turned away from him while her feet were bobbing back and forth purposefully.

She kind of knew that she was acting a little immature and ridiculous, but she was downright frustrated and even a little anxious. Too many worries and too many thoughts were plaguing her mind and running through her head to be able to sit still and clear her head. She knew that the whole idea of the meditation was to _stop_ the worries and the anxiety, but it was easier said than done. She often teased him about him often in the past whenever she found him sitting on a rock or on the ground completely motionless. She just felt that the entire activity was useless and downright impossible for people like her.

She wasn't one that was easily able to sit still and not think about anything unless she was deathly exhausted. But she was eager to try and get some long due answers. The last thing she wanted to do was sit still.

"Alright, let's try this then," she heard Aang say.

Toph had felt him walk behind her and sit down cross legged right behind her. He tapped her on the shoulder and gently turned her head up so that he could look at her face. She was still glaring and she was still a little upset but he seemed to ignore the look she was sending at him and spoke.

"Can you please sit up? I won't make fun of you I promise." He held up one hand in defense as though he was making an oath not to tease her.

She nodded, accepting his attempt at peace and pulled herself up onto her elbows and then stretched out her legs in front of her. She waited to see what he was going to say to her, but he just stood silent and kept sitting there. She felt his intense gaze on the back of her neck and shifted uncomfortably. She was about to turn around and ask him what he was planning to do, but instead, she felt his hands go straight for her shoulders.

Toph winced slightly when she felt Aang begin to knead and massage her shoulders. She made a slight sound of discomfort. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it in a minute," he assured her.

Sure enough, there was a huge knot in her shoulders that he was doing a great job of working out. She felt herself melting into his arms and leaned back slightly into his chest. She felt her eyes close and sighed deeply before she snuggled into the warm fabric of his clothing. She focused on nothing else except his fingers that were currently doing wonders on her shoulders. The tension and tightness that had been building up for the past few days slowly started to slither away the longer he kept at it.

"What are you doing?" she breathed out.

His fingers had then moved up to her neck and were making small circles. "I'm relaxing you. Seeing as how you couldn't do it by yourself, I figure I'd do you a favor. Besides, if anything else, you looked stressed. That's enough of an excuse for me," he replied softly.

Toph didn't know if it was due to the effects of the amazing massage he was giving her, her increasing attraction towards her best friend, or a combination of both, but she could have sworn that his voice sounded velvety and deep. He never spoke like that towards her before, and she was about to chalk it up to her over active imagination, but then she heard him speak again.

"Feel a little better?"

Oh Spirits, she was losing her mind. Either she was having a damn good daydream or Aang was actually really good at acting romantic when he wanted to. She was able to feel the firm muscles all over his chest as she leaned further into him. She leaned her head forward so that he could get a better angle at her neck and so that she could also hide the flustered and colored appearance of her face with her bangs. Her heart was hammering against her rib cage and she was trying her hardest not to let any embarrassing noises slip past her lips.

She had started losing track of how long Aang was working on her shoulders and on her neck and she barely noticed when his fingers gradually started slowing down until they stood motionless on her shoulders and were now doing nothing but rubbing his hands across her shoulders. She felt his breath near the shell of her ear.

He started muttering soft instructions to her, things like breath in, breath out, and to think of nothing else besides the fact that he was speaking to her. She knew that he was trying to get her to concentrate on trying to contact one of her past lives and that he was whispering to her to keep her from thinking of anything else. He was doing an excellent job. He managed to clear her head, make her flustered, and then make her completely and totally relaxed in only a few minutes.

Not bad. She would have to tell him that later.

Toph wasn't sure how she was supposed to speak to her past lives when she knew absolutely nothing about them. She wasn't aware of any of this until Roku had piled it on top of her. So how was she supposed to talk to people she didn't even know existed until a few days ago. It seemed like a good idea before. But it was obvious she didn't think about the logistics of the idea.

She thought back to all of the stories that Aang had told her about his past lives. She remembered that Roku had a wife, but he said that he had successfully protected her until the end of his life and had died peacefully on her sleep not long after he did. It didn't seem as though she would know anything. So perhaps it wouldn't do well to speak with her. Kyoshi said that men didn't have the powers she did, so Kyoshi's significant other would be even more useless to speak to.

Then her thoughts drifted back to the Water bender that Aang had told her about…Kuruk, she thought. It was hard to forget about him, he had battled Koh before and failed. Aang had said that he didn't know how to defeat him and that there was very little he could offer about the best way to make him leave Toph be. But she remembered that the reason that he even challenged Koh in the first place was….

She felt warmth coming from Aang's hands that she hadn't felt before. She tried not to shift under it for fear that she would lose her concentration again. Then something strange happened. She couldn't feel anything with her feet and she definitely didn't see anything with her eyes. But it felt similar to the way it did whenever Kyoshi was in front of her. It felt like there were thousands of people standing right in front of her, thousands of presences that she couldn't count exactly how many.

It was a feeling that was difficult for her to explain but there was something about everyone in front of her that felt strangely familiar. It was like meeting a stranger only to realize it was an old friend that you hadn't seen in years. It was a very rough explanation of it, but it was the best she could do. It was at that moment that she realized that Aang was helping her come in contact with her past lives. She heard Aang's intake of breath as he seemed to be seeing everything she was feeling.

She then remembered what she was supposed to do. There was one person among the hundreds that were in front of her that would probably know the most out of anyone; that she knew for sure. She shifted through her memory and focused on the name that Aang had mentioned to her. She had remembered the story surrounding the girl, everything Aang had told her about her, and everything she could possibly know about her.

The presences around her starting to fade one by one, and all of the people on front of her—her past lives—started to fade away until there was only one left. She was situated in front of Toph about three feet away. Toph realized that she could only really speak to her as long as Aang was assisting. He moved to the side and sat right next to Toph as he kept his hand on her shoulder. She felt him nod and his voice turned serious.

"An honor to meet you, Ummi," Aang spoke. Toph figured that Koh had probably shown Aang Ummi's face when he encountered him before in the past. He was probably able to recognize her immediately.

"It's an honor to meet you as well, Avatar Aang," she smiled. "And it's an honor to be able to see you as well, Toph Bei Fong."

"I wish I can say the same for you," Toph joked. "But I can't tell you how we relieved we are that you're here."

The Water Tribe girl smiled warmly and looked over at Toph. "I just wanted to say that we've all been aware of your progress," Ummi said, referring to all of the other past lives that were previously in the room. "I just wanted to say on behalf of all of us that we think you've come a long way. I can tell you've gotten strong and I don't think you have a thing to worry about. I just thought I'd put your worries to rest."

Something about the Waterbender's assurances made Toph feel a little at ease as she nodded and muttered a small thank you.

"I have to say," Ummi continued, "I hadn't even heard of such a thing as the Avatar's lover until I had come to the Spirit World. And ever since we were aware that you were starting to learn techniques that have been forbidden for so long, it's been a privilege to see you train these past two days." Toph grinned at the compliment.

She heard Ummi sigh and fix her voice to that of a business-like tone. "So I believe you had contacted me for something, correct? Is there anything that I could possibly help you with?"

Toph nodded and shifted slightly under Aang's grasp. "Well, I guess you'd probably know this, but…the Face Stealer is after me."

Ummi sighed deeply and paused while she looked down at the floor in front of her. "I see," she replied darkly. "Do you know where he is?" she asked worriedly.

Toph shook her head reluctantly. "Not in the slightest. One of the past Avatars, Avatar Kyoshi, is in the Spirit World right now trying to help me. She's shielding my presence from him to give me time to get ready for when he comes. But if Koh finds out about that, he could easily stop her from what she's doing. Then, Koh would be able to look for me without any trouble."

Ummi nodded. "So you don't know when he'll be coming." Toph coughed and suddenly felt very uncomfortable now that such a painful piece of information was put out into the open like that. Aang decided to interrupt the tense silence.

"My friends and I are set on protecting Toph here no matter what," Aang said sternly. "If that means defeating Koh once and for all, then that is what we're set on doing. Avatar Kyoshi was helping Toph to get a handle on her powers, I think you know that. But she didn't tell us how to defeat Koh. We were wondering if you could tell us anything you know about him. Anything that could help."

Ummi bit her lip and averted her eyes away from Aang's and Toph's gazes. Toph couldn't see or feel any vibrations so she had no idea as to why Ummi was pausing for so long, but she figured that the subject of Koh was definitely not an easy one to bring up.

Ummi nodded finally and lifted her head. "One thing you ought to know about him is that he's very merciless," she began. "He's willing to do just about anything in order to get what he wants. I remember Kuruk telling me about him while I was still alive, but he never mentioned anything about

koh looking for me. He didn't know, so there was no way to warn me."

Ummi let out a ragged sigh. "I knew what to do when he captured me. I made sure that I was able to keep a straight face and that I wouldn't even lift an eyebrow—I had to make sure that I wasn't betraying any sort of emotion. But, he wanted to make sure that I was dead. You see, he's very good and getting under your skin. He's very practiced in the art of making someone betray their façade like that so that he can collect their face."

"He kept telling me how much Kuruk didn't care about me," she continued. "You see I was in his caves for days. And every day he showed me face after face, telling me that this is where I would wind up because Kuruk didn't care enough to come after me. I started getting so scared and so terrified that I slowly started to believe him. He kept coaxing out more terror and more anxiousness out of me until there was one day where I let my face contort. I looked hurt…I _felt_ hurt. And I knew nothing more after that. It wasn't until after I had died at that moment and became a Spirit that I found out Kuruk was looking for me the entire time."

"The point," Ummi explained, "is that he is not someone you should take lightly just because you're all very powerful benders. He's not someone to underestimate. Very few people know all there is to know about him. Who knows? Maybe he has powers that no one knows about. The last thing you need is to go face him with an overconfident attitude only to have a plan up his sleeve that was unexpected for you. There's very little anyone knows, so there's very little ways for anyone to stop him."

Toph grumbled. "Great. So you're basically telling us that there is no way for us to defeat him. I'll just have to stay on the run for the rest of my life."

Ummi shook her head and spoke encouragingly. "No, let me tell you right now that there is still hope for you and that Koh will not steal your life from you. I know that for a fact," she said determinedly.

"He told me stories about himself while I was in his cave with him. He told me about how thousands of years ago, he was nothing but a lowly spirit with no particular powers. He had learned that killing a mortal would give spirits amazing powers. You know this, don't you?"

Both Toph and Aang nodded, listening intently to Ummi's story.

"Well, after I had died, I started to learn how the Spirit World worked. Where all of the portals were, sacred places in the Spirit World, who all of the important spirits were and all sorts of important things like that. But there was one thing in particular I learned about that might interest the both of you."

"Have you ever heard of The Oasis?" Ummi asked curiously.

Toph didn't know anything about the Spirit World or about any of the strange places and things that came along with it. But she felt Aang nod enthusiastically as he seemed to realize what it was. "Roku had mentioned it to me before. But I've never seen it before."

Ummi nodded. "The Oasis is exactly what it sounds like. It's the oldest and probably most mystical place in the Spirit World. It was rumored to have been created since the dawn of time. It was there before the Physical World was even born and was created when the Spirit World first came to be. It's an entire area in the Spirit World that contains powers beyond a mortal's imagination. I've never been there myself, either, but I heard it's similar to that of a mountain top with a spring pouring down from the mountain's peak."

"The reason that The Oasis is there is to heal injured spirits," she explained.

Toph's eyes widened and she cocked her head to the side, confused. "I thought you couldn't kill a spirit?"

Ummi shook her head. "Oh no, you can't. But that doesn't mean that a spirit can't still be injured."

It was Aang's turn to look confused. "But…I was there when the Moon Spirit was killed."

Ummi sighed sadly. "Ah, I remember that. The entire Spirit World was in a state of panic when we found the Moon Spirit dead. Apparently there were so many people against the idea of Tui and La existing in the Physical World. You see, a spirit can manifest themselves into the Physical World if they're powerful enough. And they can manifest themselves in any shape or form they wish. Most appear in the Physical World exactly as they appear in the Spirit World, that way they are better able to defend themselves should they be put in danger. But Tui and La decided to exist in the North Pole in the form of two Koi fish. Everyone knew that they were taking a risk. Koi fish were not their original forms, but they insisted that they wanted to be close to the Poles, determined that the benders would protect them, no matter how vulnerable their form was. When a spirit is in the Physical World…that's the only time a spirit can really die. Because Tui was so vulnerable, posing as a Koi fish, it wasn't difficult for the Fire Nation to kill the Moon."

"I remembered being among the spirits that saw Tui rush through the Spirit World toward The Oasis, extremely weak and extremely injured. We had followed her to the portal that led to the Oasis and we saw that she had made it there alive. But something strange happened."

"She wasn't healed, was she?" Toph guessed. "She still died. Aang told me that she died."

Ummi nodded miserably. "She did die. I found out later that The Oasis only works to a certain degree. You see, a spirit can go there when they are injured and if they remain long enough, their powers would return to them. Then they would leave The Oasis completely unharmed. However, if they are severely injured enough, The Oasis will not be able to return their powers back to them. If it wasn't for the Water Tribe Princess, Yue, the moon would have disappeared."

Toph nodded. She remembered hearing this story from everyone in the group. She and Suki were the only ones that weren't there to witness it so they both had asked for a detailed description.

"But wait," Aang asked. "The only reason Tui died was because she was manifested into the Physical World in such a weak form. If Koh is as merciless as you say he is, there's no way that he would come to the Physical World in such a weak form to come and retrieve Toph. Besides, when Koh had attacked up in the Physical World before, he appeared exactly as he appeared in the Spirit World. There's no way we'd be able to kill him like that, will we?"

"He's too old, too wise, and too powerful to be killed, unfortunately," Ummi admitted. "And you're right. Koh will never manifest himself in a weaker form. He may be set on going after you, Toph, but I don't imagine he's entirely dim witted. You might not be able to kill him, but I know that you can injure him greatly."

"This is what I think you all can do," she explained seriously. "If you can injure Koh enough, he'll probably escape to the Spirit World and head for The Oasis to try and rejuvenate. But if you manage to injure him enough, then he will never be able to return to full power. He'll be permanently weakened and he won't pose a threat to you anymore. He'll be just as weak as he was in the beginnings of his life in the Spirit World. He told me that he wasn't much to be afraid of. I'm sure that he won't even pose a threat."

Toph's smile was spreading eagerly across her face. "You mean if all of us rough him up enough in the Physical World, there'll be a chance that we can completely get rid of him for good?"

Ummi nodded. "But you have to weaken him extremely. Even if you think he's down, you take another hit at him again. You may be playing dirty, but it's important to make sure that he is as weak as possible. But yes, I think there's a very good chance you can get rid of him. Especially if you and the Avatar are helping."

Aang was still a little skeptical of the plan. "Koh got his powers from killing mortals. What if wasn't able to get his power back from The Oasis but he was strong enough to get powers from killing another mortal?"

Ummi brought her hand to her mouth and thought hard. Toph heard her tapping a finger against her chin as she contemplated the question. "There may be something the spirits can do."

"What do you mean?" Aang asked.

"I'm sorry," Ummi apologized. "But this is something that no mortal is allowed to know, even the Avatar. You see, this is a dangerous tactic, and I'm not even sure if the spirits in the Spirit World will be willing to go out of their way to attempt to go through the trouble."

Toph's grin faded quickly. "So you don't know if we'll be able to finish him off." It wasn't a question.

Ummi shook her head miserably. "I'll try to find spirits who are willing to go through with this. But it's a dangerous last tactic. It's only used for emergency situations, for extremely evil spirits. I hear it's only been used very few times in the last ten thousand years. You see, it's very dangerous not only for the victim, but for the people who are apprehending the victim. Anyone involved—good or bad—can be placed into danger. That's why it's been used so sparingly."

"Isn't there any way you can convince the spirits to help?" Toph asked desperately.

Ummi answered back nervously. "I'm not sure. I'm not exactly a powerful spirit people would normally listen to without hesitation. But nobody likes Koh; they view him as a menace and a nuisance. I doubt they would refuse. But then again…"

Ummi sounded extremely unsure of herself. From the sound of it, this _thing_ that she was talking about that could apprehend Koh for good was something that was a last resort. A very, _very_ last resort. If it was only used a few times every several thousand years, it didn't seem like it would be a viable tactic for all of them to have at their disposal. Toph sighed. She knew that the joyous news of being able to hurt Koh to the point of him not returning to full power would be balanced out with another half hope.

But she had to admit, the information about the Oasis was useful. All they had to do was scare Koh back into the Spirit World when he was weak enough to make sure that he wouldn't be able to return to his powerful state. If there was a way to weaken him to the point of no return, that would be enough for her until the spirits would decide what they wanted to do with their fellow spirit. After all, as long as he wasn't chasing after her anymore, it seemed to be good enough for her.

"That's fine," Toph said finally. "You've told us more than enough information and I feel better about all of this. At least we're not going to be caught in the dark and we might actually have a chance against this bug," she smirked.

Ummi smiled and let out a light laugh. "Oh, I'm glad I could help. I'm sure you'll be able to handle anything he throws your way."

"We're in debt to you Ummi," Aang said. "We can't thank you enough."

"Just remember," she said. "Koh isn't foolish, like I said before. He's very manipulative and he's willing to do anything to get his way. He's also extremely powerful. Just because there's a way to defeat him doesn't mean it'll be easy. What I'm trying to say is that…be careful," she begged. "I'd hate to see anything terrible happen to any of you."

Toph nodded. "Don't worry. We've been through a lot in the past few years. I'm sure that we'll all be okay in the end. After all, we ended a hundred year old war. I'm sure we can handle this."

Ummi laughed. "I love your confidence. I'm not sure there isn't much else that I know, though. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you."

"You've told us everything we needed to know," Aang assured the Waterbender. "And we can't thank you enough."

"The pleasure was all mine," Ummi smiled. "Just remember, make sure you get him good. I'm sure you'll be able to do it. No…I _know_ you can do it. I've seen you in action…all of your past lives have. You'll be able to handle anything. I'm positive."

Toph laughed to herself, thinking that all Water Tribe girls acted the same way. There was something about Ummi that reminded Toph of Katara. Her optimism, her assurances, and her bubbly voice. There was something comforting about talking to Katara that was similarly true after Toph spoke to Ummi. She had a nature that just seemed to want to help anyone no matter what, and Toph couldn't help but feel terribly motivated now that Ummi had said everything that she knew.

Toph had thanked her again before Ummi smiled again and disappeared just as suddenly as she had appeared Aang had let go of her shoulder and sat in front of her this time.

"Well, at least we know what we have to do," Aang said helpfully.

Toph nodded. "Yeah, but I have a feeling that those spirits aren't going to want to do have anything to do with that insect," she thought reluctantly. "But I guess we'll at least get him off of our back for good. I mean, I doubt that Koh is going to get powerful enough to get me anytime soon. It took him years to get this powerful. He won't be able to get to me anytime soon, will he?"

Aang shrugged. "Well, we actually don't know that. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Toph nodded. "Sure. Whatever you say."

Aang looked back at her curiously. "Are you still worried?"

Toph crossed her arms across her chest. "Nah. You've gotten me over it already. Worrying is useless around you."

"Worrying is useless period," he reasoned.

"It's just," Toph began. "She didn't sound that much older than any of us. In fact, she was probably around the same age. It just amazes me that Koh would kill her like that. What is so important that she had to die? What does he _want_? It just isn't fair. She didn't deserve to die."

"None of the people Koh has killed deserved to die," Aang said. "It's terrible to think about."

Toph sighed. "I'm just starting to think that this isn't just for me anymore, you know? It's not fair that so many people have had to die just because he's some sadistic, power hungry, jerk. It's not personal anymore."

Aang nodded. "I get it. It's avenging everyone else."

Toph did nothing but stand there with a serious look on her face. She then shook her thoughts and turned back to him with a scowl. "So I guess we're just going to have to wait around for the onslaught, huh?" she asked.

"Don't see what else we can possibly do. But I'm sure that Kyoshi is doing the best she can. I know her. She's the most stubborn person I've met aside from you. I'm sure that we'll be perfectly fine for the time being."

Toph nodded. She noticed that at that moment, her stomach felt extremely hollow and it started to ache uncontrollably. "Is our hour up yet?" she asked.

Aang shook his head. "Nope. We've still got a few minutes, why?"

"I'm starting to think back to those noodles you made me when I first woke up in here, remember?"

Aang looked away. "You remember me cooking for you?" he said nervously.

Toph nodded. "Yeah. It was good. I'm totally serious. Hm…curry noodles, right? You said you didn't know any meat recipes, after all."

Aang shook his head. "I can't believe you even remembered that."

"Well, a lot of what you said that night stuck. That may have helped a little," she smiled assuredly.

"Technically we're still not allowed in the kitchens," Aang said reluctantly, stepping a little closer to her.

Toph didn't push him away when he started running his fingers through her hair. "True. But I'm sure if you pull that Avatar card that they wouldn't say no to you."

Aang rolled his eyes and laughed a little bit. "I thought you said that was annoying."

"I'm starving. I'm not thinking straight," she excused herself.

"Alright, fine," Aang agreed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and hugging her close to him. "But I'm not a chef you know."

"I'm not picky," she answered immediately. "I'll eat whatever you can come up with."

Aang led her outside and they started walking side by side towards the kitchens. They started passing all of the maids, cooks, and servants in the halls, probably going to take a break and ending their shifts for the time being. The two benders also decided to take the long way there to avoid seeing the other four friends. They would probably still be getting ready and Toph wanted to sneak into the kitchen with Aang without interruptions.

"By the way," she said suddenly. "I meant to ask you."

"What?" he asked.

"What was with the massage?"

Toph laughed to herself. She could practically feel the heat rushing to his face.

"Well…you know, I had to get you to relax and you seemed…tense," he said rubbing the back of his neck.

"No I get that," she continued. "But there were other ways Aang."

"Well don't pretend that you weren't totally enjoying it," he scolded.

Toph shrugged. "What can I say? I respect I guy with talent. And that, Twinkle Toes, was pure _talent_."

Aang chuckled lightly. "Well, then I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Am I entitled to another one?" Toph said, blushing. She couldn't help herself. After all, he managed to make her lean back fully into his chest and melt like butter on the spot completely within minutes. She didn't mind experiencing that again. And the fact that it made her forget everything except him was something else that she found completely impressive and worth another shot.

But Aang shook his head. "Nope. That was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Those don't come for free very often. That was an emergency situation and it was necessary to the advancement of our mission."

Toph groaned distastefully. "Ugh. Way to go making a perfectly amazing shoulder and neck massage sound so…_professional_," she said, spitting out the last word like it was poison.

"Well, you can get another one once I get my payment," he repeated.

"And what do you want as payment, Twinkle Toes?" she asked curiously.

He did nothing but shrug and smile a devious smile. "Impress me and I'll tell you when it's enough."

Toph raised a brow. Well _he_ was certainly getting bold. Maybe they really were rubbing off on each other. It definitely didn't seem stupid at the moment. "Well fine then," she smiled back. "But remember, I can tell if you're lying. You won't dare say I haven't earned my payment after this day is over." Then she wriggled out of Aang's arms—which were still around her shoulders—and walked ahead of him.

"Wait a minute, what are you going to do?" he asked from behind her.

"If you're allowed to hold massages hostage then I'm allowed not to tell you," she said curtly and kept walking.

* * *

As soon as the two of them had cleared the hallway, a head poked from around the corner of another hallway. The girl who owned the head had her knuckle in her mouth to try and keep from squealing. She was smiling ear to ear and finally let out a giggle as soon as she was sure that no one was around. The girl was also holding a very tall boy next to her who was scowling and in a bad mood. He was rolling his eyes and silently praying to himself that all of this would be over since it was clear he felt ridiculous.

"Oh my gosh," Katara said excitedly. "I knew Toph said something was going on between them, but that was too irresistible." She turned to Zuko who was reluctantly being pulled along by his exuberant girlfriend.

"I mean, what the heck are they doing on this side of the palace anyway? It's totally secluded. And you heard them didn't you? He gave her a massage! This is so exciting."

"Katara," Zuko sighed. "Why am I here?"

"I told you," she explained. "I needed to show you Toph and Aang. I'm telling you, the way they looked at each other the other day, and then this? I mean come on! It's totally apparent that something serious is going on."

"I don't care, though," Zuko insisted. "Why do we have to spy on them from around corners? It's not that big of a deal, I mean you can see plain as day that they're an item. We don't have to spy on them to see that."

"Of course we don't _have_ to spy," Katara said, rolling her eyes at Zuko's obvious lack of enthusiasm. "But it's _fun_ to spy. You had to admit that was adorable…and kind of steamy if you ask me."

Zuko looked away from Katara's gaze, knowing that she expected him to say something. He let his shoulders drop and sighed. "Alright, fine. They were cute. Happy?"

"Are you kidding?" she smiled. "This is great. I've been waiting for this moment ever since Aang was travelling on his own. It was fate that they happened to arrive together. I mean, who knows what happened when they were traveling on Appa by themselves?"

Zuko shook his head. "Since when did you become such a gossiper?"

Katara shrugged. "There was not much to do at the South Pole and all of us girls had nothing else better to do then to talk about what everyone in the village was up to. Besides, creating a stake-out to see if half the rumors we discussed were true was the other half of the fun."

Zuko grabbed Katara's shoulders and led her down a hallway in the complete opposite direction that Aang and Toph had run off towards. "You have too much time on your hands. Why don't you leave them be instead of following them? I mean what if they catch you?"

"Well I can't just stop," Katara argued. "Suki said she wanted details. And as a fellow female I have a duty to relay everything I just saw to my comrade."

Zuko rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You dragged Suki into this to?"

"What do you mean dragged?" Katara said, sounding offended. "She told me to come here. She said she saw them run here like their lives depended on it." She smiled and rubbed her hands together. "Now I know why."

Zuko rolled his eyes. Sometimes, Katara was far too much.

* * *

**A/N: This turned out longer than I expected. Oh well. **

**I've still got a few surprises up my sleeve, just in case you thought everything is solved and set in stone. **

**Please review! I'll give you a hug~!**


	23. Last Midnight Conversation

**A/N: **_*sigh* School has started already. But the good news is that it's going to be cold soon (I really don't like warm weather). So I'll try to suffer through schools during the weekdays and present chapters to you all on the weekends._

* * *

**Chapter 23**

The sun was slowly starting to dip and the horizon was stained with wonderful shades of crimson, allowing a wondrous scene to be displayed for all of the Earth Kingdom to see. Normally, such a sight would have brought peace of mind and content. But for a particular group of six war heroes, the sunset only served to bring more anxiety and more pressure onto their already frayed nerves.

Aang had finally passed the last of the group's belongings to Zuko who was trying to his best to accommodate as much of the luggage as possible on top of the flying bison. The luggage was placed on carefully and the saddle was double checked to be sure that it was as secure as possible. Everything was prepared in case the group had to make an emergency get away. Aang made sure to whisper words of encouragement to Appa, saying that the bison only had to sleep with the saddle on for one night. It was important that the group be prepared for anything. The bison gave a grunt, showing that he understood.

Sokka nodded his head firmly. "Okay, Appa's packed and ready to go." He turned towards the other five members of the group with sharp, serious eyes. "Let's go over the plan one more time."

"We're going to have to get as much sleep as possible," Sokka explained. "It's no use getting worried over tomorrow and then not resting up to be prepared. We'll all get up before dawn and get on top of Appa as quickly as possible. Considering all of that, we should be able to make it over to the town by sunrise. Then, we'll just wait for that freaky spirit to show up just as planned."

Sokka clenched his teeth slightly. "If that bug decides to show up in the middle of the night, don't panic. Make your way outside of Omashu as quickly as you can. We'll have a better chance of battling that thing in an open area instead of inside those crowded halls. Does everyone understand?"

The rest of the group nodded in affirmation.

"Aang. You're going to be watching Toph tonight, right?"

The Air Bender nodded. "Don't worry. I've got it covered. I'll be staying in her room. Nothing's going to happen to her."

Sokka turned to Toph. "Don't do anything stupid like trying to find that thing in the middle of the night, alright?"

Toph scoffed and crossed her arms as an annoyed expression crossed her features. "Please. I'm not an idiot."

"He's not saying that you are," Suki offered comfortingly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You just tend to be very…determined when it comes to things like this."

"Play it safe," Zuko translated. "Don't run of thinking that you can stop it yourself and just wait until morning like the rest of us."

Toph rolled her eyes. She stared pointedly at everyone else's general direction. "I thought we went through this already. I'm accepting the fact that we have to stick together and I'm not going to try and solve it myself. Don't worry."

It didn't do anyone any good to think that Toph would go back on her promise against doing something reckless, so the conversation ended on that note. Appa was left in the stables next to the palace as the rest of the group walked back into the palace.

Bumi had informed the Water Tribe siblings earlier that day that he would sadly be forced to leave Omashu for the next few days. Tension had been growing between him and the Earth King back at Ba Sing Se to the point where negotiations needed to be made before King Kuei did something ridiculous. The two Earth Kings needed to ban together in order to rebuild the Earth Kingdom and there was no use in postponing their meeting any longer. The king of Omashu, however, didn't seem to be too worried about the news that the Water Tribe siblings had presented him with.

"_I've known Aang every since we were young lads," Bumi reminisced. "If anyone is capable of solving a problem of this degree, it's him. The boy's grown to become wiser and stronger than he was in his younger years." _

_Bumi smiled and let joyous laugh. "I'd feel comfortable leaving my old friend in charge of the palace while I'm gone. And I'm sure that he'll do a fine job in protecting that Earth Bender he cares so much about."_

Most of the servants and maids were missing. The new recruits were left behind to do the tedious work like watering the plants, dusting the furniture, washing the floors and windows, and altogether keeping the place spotless for the King's return. The heroes' footsteps echoed loudly through the halls as they made their way back towards their quarters, contemplating the battle that was expected tomorrow.

Katara and Suki made sure to give Toph hugs of encouragement and whispered encouraging words to her before they retired to their rooms. Katara even went so far as to place a small kiss on the top of Toph's head as reassurance. Sokka patted Toph lightly on the back while Zuko reached down and ruffled the hair on the top of her head.

"Relax. This'll be over before you know it," Sokka said confidently. "That insect doesn't stand a chance against my battle tactics!" he said triumphantly.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Of course. Because your battle tactics are _so_ impressive."

"Look, Mr. Fire Lord," Sokka started.

Toph flung her arm out and smiled and the crunching sound that was made when her fist collided with Sokka's arm. "Calm down. Why don't you follow your brilliant advice and get to bed. We're going to be getting up pretty early. It's best to get to bed now so we can get as much rest as possible."

"Spirits Toph. You broke my arm!" Sokka shouted.

Toph stuck her finger out and pushed on Sokka's shoulder, making him tumble down to the ground. "Oh please. I didn't punch you that hard."

Aang shook his head and fought back a laugh. His face became stoic as he focused everyone's attention back. "We'll see you in the morning then?" Aang asked.

Sokka and Zuko nodded confidently and turned back towards their friends and slowly walked down the hall towards their rooms. Toph stayed rooted in her spot in the hallway until she felt Sokka's footsteps enter his room, followed by Zuko's footsteps entering his own bedroom. The minute she heard the sound of two doors shutting and two locks clicking in place, she let out a big sigh. She heard the flames of a torch flickering as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, you want to head to your room?" Aang asked softly.

Toph stood silent for a moment before nodding and walking forward to her room. Aang's footsteps tapped along behind her only a beat behind her own. It amazed her how many little things were allowing for comfort. Everyone's assurances, the physical contact from her friends, Aang's voice, Aang's footsteps…even the sound of the fire burning in the torch holders that dotted the hallway. For some reason, it allowed her to believe that all of this wasn't a dream and that all of this was real. And that soon, she would be able to end it all in an instant as long as she tried hard enough. This wasn't a trick. This wasn't a joke. It was simply reality, and she was determined to being normality back to her reality if it was the last thing she did.

Kyoshi's oath to protect her all she could…even Ummi's own confidence in her…

Toph nodded silently to herself. She could do this. She was going to be alright.

"Do you mind if I take a bath first?" Toph called behind her as she stopped at her door. "I feel a little grimy from everything that's happened today."

Aang shrugged, grabbed the doorknob and twisted it silently. "Sure," he smiled. "I'll start it up for you."

* * *

Toph almost forgot how nice it had been to let her mind float during a nice bath.

Despite the fact that she had been using the bathroom every day since she arrived at the palace, this was probably the first time where she wasn't rushing it, letting her worried thoughts run rampant, or any combination of the two. For some reason, she could finally find some time to wind down tonight. It was sort of ironic since she should have been more worried now than she ever had been. But she wasn't about to argue with her feelings. She was finally getting some quiet and she sure as hell wasn't about to get rid of it now.

She piled her hair on the top of her head quickly before she sank deeper into the scented bath water. Toph let out a large sigh before she let her head drop backwards against the cold tiles of the floor. If she concentrated hard enough and let her feet touch the bottom of the bathing pool, she could see the rest of the bathroom as well as her bedroom right next door.

She could feel a corner of her room was cluttered with an array of objects. She heard a rustling of paper through the door of the bathroom so she assumed it was probably Aang sneaking scrolls from Bumi's library again. She felt him place another scroll on the floor and then pick another one up. She heard more rustling as he untied the scroll and opened it up again. Toph laughed to herself. It was probably him finishing up that dumb Earth Kingdom drama he was reading a couple of days ago. Figures he would want to finish it up before they left here.

Toph's eyes closed as she listened to the continuous rhythm of Aang closing a scroll, typing it up, placing it down, picking a new one up, undoing the tie and opening it up. She mused back to her earlier comment of finding comfort in the simple things like her best friend reading scrolls in the next room. She tried to succumb to unconsciousness and see if she could possibly take a small nap before having to get out. But of course, it seemed impossible.

Even though the whole day was tiring and it was going to get late soon, Toph didn't feel the least bit tired. She couldn't even force herself to take a ten minute nap in the water. Her fingers were constantly tapping on the edge of the bath and she was swinging her feet back and forth under the water. Her behavior definitely wasn't due to nervousness, but rather the adrenaline of tomorrow morning running through her. She was excited, but she was definitely eager—eager to end all of this stress and just sit back and relax like she used to in the old days. She sort of missed the simple days when she was twelve years old of lazing around on Appa and not doing anything in particular. Back then she was wishing for some excitement. Now she just wanted some rest.

"Man, how am I going to fall asleep?" she muttered.

She turned around so that her arms were resting on the edge of the bath. She let her head rest on her arms as she watched the mirrors all around her fog up from the humidity.

Another scroll was picked up and she heard Aang gasp loudly. A loud "what!" rang through the bathroom door followed by a frustrated groan. Toph chuckled. She had never met anyone who took those stupid drama stories so seriously. Honestly, all those stories have a weird twist near the end of the story. She knew that. So whenever the maids used to read those stupid scrolls out loud to her, she accepted the weird plot twists and odd situations as part of the formula that made for a successful soap opera. But because Aang was gullible, it probably just took him by surprise. Toph shook her head as she heard that he was picking up and putting down scrolls a lot more quickly. Maybe she should ask him what happened just for some humor. After all he was…

…oh right.

Top groaned and smacked her forehead. Aang was staying in her room tonight. She had totally forgotten.

Well, no. She knew full well that he was. But she supposed that the awkwardness of the situation didn't hit her until just now. Aang. Herself. In a room. Alone. By themselves. All night. Three feet away from each other.

It was official. She was going to get absolutely _no_ sleep tonight.

She wasn't uncomfortable around him. Oh no, far from it. In fact, his company seems to be the only thing that has been keeping her sane all these days. If she would have anyone come and keep her company tonight, she would have picked him in a heartbeat. It was probably due to the fact that she didn't know if they were crossing some sort of line or jumping on a late opportunity by sleeping in the same room. It wasn't that big of a deal. He was just keeping an eye on her. He was being extra protective over her and was willing to do anything at all to keep her safe, even if it killed him. That's something a friend would do, right?

_Please_, Toph thought. Friend was far too inappropriate after hearing him sound so determined and so serious when he said that he felt this intense need to protect her. That wasn't something a friend said. It was too strong and too intense for your best friend to say. And if the kiss they shared that night wasn't another indicator of the fact that they abandoned the title of friendship long ago, then she didn't know what was.

Alright, so is wasn't friendship. Lust maybe?

She crinkled her nose. No, definitely not. Sure she found him highly attractive (if leaning against his chest while he was massaging her wasn't any indication of that, among other things) and her heart sped up every time he was within the vicinity, but something about their understanding of each other, their trust, and their bond seemed to deep and meaningful to be chalked up to something as superficial as physical attraction.

That meant is had to be something else, or at the very least, something that fell in between the other two. Then a specific word crossed her mind for a second…only for _one_ second.

Love.

_Totally impossible_, she thought automatically. She didn't even know what love was. She had never felt it before and the closest she had ever come towards it was what she had heard from stories and from other people. It was the most irrational thought she had had in a while. But the strange thing was that as she tried to find another word to explain her relationship with the Airbender in the next room, they were all wrong. They were too weak, too superficial, too completely different from what she felt. It was odd, unexpected, and completely irrational, but _love_ was surprisingly the only thing that made sense at the moment.

_But that's impossible_, she kept thinking. _Aang was obsessing over Katara for the entirety of their youth. Plus we hadn't seen each other for years_._ Then we spent a few weeks together because of this mess. How is that the equation for two people to fall in love? It's stupid. It's ridiculous. It's completely irrational. _

But it was the only thing that made sense.

Toph groaned. This was the last thing she needed: to have half of her accept the inevitable and have the other half deny the impossible. Aang was always her buddy. He was her buddy, her punching bag, her whiny Earthbending student, her partner in crime, and her friend. That was the summary of their relationship when they were kids and that's how she thought it was going to stay. But somehow, in the course of a few weeks, he turned into something entirely different. He was her source of comfort, her protector, her safe haven, the only person that had ever shown her any sort of deep compassion, caring, and understanding. Aang was the only one she could talk to anymore. He was the only one that she knew would listen to her and not just hear what she had to say. He was the only one that she would allow to see her completely exposed and without the rough, tomboy façade up to protect her.

Plus, she couldn't think of a single other person who she would be willing to do any of that with.

He was special. There couldn't possibly be anyone like him in the entire world.

If that wasn't the ramblings of a person in love, she didn't know what was. The only problem was that it came so quickly and so unexpectedly that it seemed painfully stupid.

So the point of all of this thinking was that she was either in love or completely crazy.

Toph sighed for the nth time. _This is so confusing._

She started to feel that her fingertips were wrinkling up in the water. She must have been in here for well over an hour. She reached over to the other end of the tub and started to drain the water and grabbed the towel that was next to the faucets. She dried herself off mechanically and tied a robe around her waist as she let herself juggle to the two ideas in her head all over again. In love. Crazy. In love. Crazy. She felt like there was such a fine line between the two that it was almost useless trying to argue which one was actually legitimate. But still, there she was: still arguing with herself over the fact.

It was almost as if she refused to accept that the two ideas were simply interchangeable so it was useless to just leave it alone. It was almost as if she was really leaning towards the fact that she was in love. It was almost as if she was accepting that love had finally grown between her and her student and that it was the most natural thing in the world right now. It was almost as if she was ready to walk into the bedroom, confess her feelings to Aang, and then have everything end happily ever after.

But the key word here was _almost_. So being the stubborn Earthbender that she was, she was still arguing with herself as she walked out the bathroom.

In fact, she didn't even notice the fact that she had lazily walked by Aang in a short bathrobe. She didn't notice that Aang had looked up and that his face turned exactly 26 shades of red, pink, and purple. She also didn't notice that his eyes were glued to her as she walked into her wardrobe to look for some appropriate sleepwear. No, she didn't notice any of this. She was still thinking. _In love. Crazy…_

"Um…Toph…?"

She walked out in a knee length night gown with her eyes still glazed over in thought. She yanked at the tie that was holding her hair up and let her hair fall down her back. Aang sucked in a deep breath. He simply kept watching her from his chair in the corner of his room, the rest of the scrolls her was holding long forgotten. He watched her lay down on her stomach across the bed, facing him, with her head propped up in her hands.

The initial shock of her walking in just a bathrobe across the room and the shock of how amazing her hair looked let down had passed, and now it simply puzzled the monk as to why she was acting so quiet and weird. She just walked out the bathroom in complete thought and stretched out across the bed, the look in her eyes indicating that her mind was miles away. Toph wasn't interested in the monk sitting in front of her. Her head was still swimming.

Aang stood up and waved a hand in front of her face. Then he mentally kicked himself as he realized that waving his hand in front of her wouldn't have gotten her attention even if she wasn't daydreaming. He poked her on the shoulder and got close to her face.

"Toph, are you there?"

_Love makes the most sense. But then again, I can think up some pretty stupid things…_

"Toph, are you even paying attention to me?"

_But is it really that stupid? I mean Katara says love is an amazing feeling and that I should embrace it…_

"Toph, wake up!"

_But what if I don't want to _be_ in love? What if it's some overrated feeling…?_

"Toph!"

_But if what I'm really feeling is love, then love isn't overrated at all. But then again I could just be…_

"Hey!" he yelled in her ear.

Toph jumped back and banged her head on the headboard of the bed. She gritted her teeth together and growled at the pain that was throbbing through her skull. She sputtered and growled under her breath and glared at Aang.

"What in the hell was that for?"

Aang rolled his eyes. "Okay, so when I'm not paying attention to you, you get to Earthbend me in the stomach, but when you don't listen to me and I yell in your ear, I'm wrong."

Toph scowled and nudged Aang on the shoulder. "Smart aleck," she grumbled.

Aang ignored her and shook his head. "What were you doing? Are you alright?"

Toph tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"

She felt Aang walk over to the couch at the other end of the room where it seemed like Aang had already had blankets set up for when he was ready to fall asleep. Toph crawled over to the foot of the bed so that she was facing Aang as he sat cross-legged on the couch.

"What I mean," he started, "was that you were totally walking around like you were on Cloud Nine three seconds ago."

Toph gaped. "Was not."

"Were too," Aang chuckled. "I didn't peg you as such a deep thinker."

Now Toph felt affronted. "What, so I can't think deep? Thanks."

Aang shook his head. "No, that's what I meant," he said quickly. "I'm just saying you looked like something was bothering you. You don't usually think about things that upset you, so the fact that you looked so troubled made me think something was wrong."

Toph frowned and fell back on the bed. She sighed deeply and faced the ceiling. "I don't know. I think I'm going insane."

Aang was suddenly kneeling down in the floor next to the bed. He rested his chin on the edge and looked right at her. "Why?"

Toph shrugged. "I'm starting to think things that are making very little sense. But for some reason, they also seem to be completely rational at the same time."

"Okay," Aang said slowly, listening intently.

Toph rolled over and propped herself up with her elbow. "Alright. It's like knowing something is true without ever seeing it for yourself."

Aang scowled in confusion. "Explain."

Toph sighed. "Think of it like believing in a fairytale. On one hand, you think that it's totally fake and that nothing of the sort could ever happen. But then again, you also hope that it's real, because believing that there is actually magic out there is better than accepting that it doesn't exist."

"But you don't which one to believe in," he finished.

Toph nodded. "Right."

Aang stood silent for a moment, clicking his tongue against his teeth as he sat there thinking next to her. "Well, who are you to say that magic doesn't really exist?"

"What?"

"How do you know that magic is really fake?" he questioned her. "How do you know that it's totally impossible? Maybe it's all over the place. Maybe it's because you've trained yourself to think that magic is fake. So even though the evidence is right in front of you, you refuse to believe it."

That made Toph stop to think for a moment.

"_Maybe it's because you've trained yourself to think that magic is fake."_

Did she really make herself believe that falling in love was a stupid idea? She always looked at the way her parents acted around each other, how Katara and Zuko acted around each other, and even how Suki and Sokka acted around each other. They seemed so blinded by everything around them and they seemed to ignore the other's flaws. They were willing to look past the ugliness of the other and still find a way to care for the other. It was because they were in love.

Toph remembered as a girl that the maid's had always told her that love truly makes you overlook everything. Love could make the worst person in the world seem like a savior—a saint. At the time, the thought disgusted her. How can you possibly find good qualities in a terrible person just because you were in love? Toph was already physically blinded at birth. She refused to metaphorically blinded as well just because of a petty emotion like love.

Sure, she had her random crushes in the past, but they never made her lose sight on what was important. That's because she wasn't in love. She refused to fall in love if it meant being so absorbed in another person. Love led to things like marriage and being committed to another human being for the rest of your life. You would never have independence. You would always have go through your life knowing that you had to consider the opinion of the person bound to you for life. She wasn't bound to anyone. She liked her independence. She liked being by herself. She was used to be alone after living with parents who never cared for years. Being alone worked for her. And she liked it.

But maybe she really was finally falling in love for the first time in her life. And like Aang said, because she had been so disgusted by the idea, she'd been making herself think that what she was feeling really wasn't love. But there were so many clues, so much evidence that supported her feelings that the idea of her being crazy was slowly starting to seem like a stupid idea.

Overall, maybe she really was in love.

"But what if magic is a scary idea," Toph continued. "What if you've heard so many stories of how bad things can go because of it? What if you know it's real, but it scares you?"

Something about the way Aang started to ghost his fingers across her palm made her think that Aang was well aware that they weren't talking about fairytales anymore.

"All the more reason to believe in it in my opinion," Aang said quietly. "After all, it might be scary and unpredictable, but magic makes people feel happiness that's out of this world. It's special, it's unexplainable, and I think it's something worth finding out about. Especially if you're not alone while you're searching for it."

Toph nodded and felt shivers go up her spine as he continued to trace patterns on her hands. "But magic has hurt so many people."

"It's also made people's lives ten times better."

"But you know if that's going to be the case."

"You never know what's going to be the case," Aang explained. "You don't know exactly what's going to happen in the future. When you get dressed in the morning, do you know how the day is going to go? Of course you don't. But is that a reason to stay your room all day? No. You go out into the world and explore the day, and accept whatever is going to happen. Just because you don't know where you're going to wind up doesn't mean you shouldn't walk forward. Because then you'll just be stuck in one place, regretting the fact that you didn't make an effort."

Toph chuckled to herself and closed her hand around his. She let her elbow collapsed so that her head was resting against the sheets. She felt Aang's gaze on her face and his hand squeezing hers. "You know, you can be really deep sometimes," she told him.

He shrugged in response. "It's a terrible habit of mine that I can't seem to totally get over."

"It helps though," she answered honestly.

"You're feeling better then?"

She nodded.

"How are you? You know…about…" he trailed off.

Toph nodded again. "I'm fine. I'm not worried, just…eager."

Aang let out a sigh. "I probably should let you go to sleep."

Toph didn't really want him to leave right now. She sort of felt silly when she remembered that she was worried about sharing a room with him. Because right now, she didn't know how she could have possibly thought that him sleeping in here was a bad idea. Now that he was speaking so sweetly to her and holding her hand like this, she didn't want him to leave. Even him sleeping all the way at the other end of the room was starting to seem like a bad idea in her eyes.

"I don't want to go to sleep."

"You should."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm still thinking."

"About what?"

She paused for a few seconds and made sure that her eyes weren't going to meet his when she said this.

"If I told you that I liked you—I mean really…_really_ liked you—what would you say?"

It sounded as if Aang's breathing got really quiet. She didn't take it as a good or a bad sign. She was too tired and too absorbed in their conversation to think about his reaction to the question. All she really cared for was the answer. At this point, she had never felt more at ease in her life. And it almost seemed that she would be satisfied with whatever answer he gave her, that's how comfortable and calm she felt. And to think that he accomplished all of that in only a short amount of time. It was dizzying, yet satisfying.

"I would say that I liked you too—I mean really, _really_ liked you," he chuckled.

Toph smiled. Neither of them said that they loved the other, but by the way they were talking before and how warm and sincere he was speaking to her before, she knew that he got the message. He knew what she was really thinking and he probably knew that she knew how he felt too. He was rubbing the back of her hand with his hand and he understood exactly what he was saying.

_I love you_.

She leaned down and kissed the inside of his wrist. _I love you too._

Toph's eyes slowly started to droop and she felt herself drifting in and out of unconsciousness. She kept trying to stay wide awake for fear that she would wake up and they would have to break this comfortable position and face the one thing they wished would just go away. Aang brushed the lids of her half-closed eyes and told her that she really needed to go to sleep. "I don't want to sleep by myself," she mumbled quietly against his hand.

Aang hesitated for a moment, but decided to climb on top of her bed and sit with his back against the headboard of the bed. Toph crawled over to him and settled herself in between his legs with her head nestled in the crook of his neck. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he started making small circles on her back. She sighed as she breathed in the scent of his skin. She melted into his arms as his body heat started to seep into her skin, warming her up all over her body. He made his own sort of lullaby by making circles on her back, rubbing her hair, and placing an occasional kiss on the top of her head. She didn't dare move and she didn't dare say anything to ruin the moment.

She let herself drift off into sleep without any trouble.

* * *

Toph was woken up by a knocking sound at the door.

She wrinkled her nose and yawned slightly as the knocking at the door of her room. She tried to roll over on her side only to find that somehow, in the middle of the night, Aang had wound up lying behind her with is arms wrapped around her. It must have still been late at night if Aang was still asleep. Plus, she was still extremely drowsy with sleep and it didn't feel as if the sun was up yet. Besides, she could usually tell when it was morning and right now, it felt like it was still the middle of the night. She contemplated simply lying back down and falling back asleep, until she heard the knocking at the door again.

She leaned over and nudged Aang. "Aang, there's someone at the door," she mumbled.

Aang didn't move a muscle and kept soundly sleeping. It was strange, because if knocking at the door had woken her of all people up in the middle of the night, Aang should have definitely heard it. She was a much deeper sleeper than Aang was, so the fact that Aang was still soundly sleeping was a little strange. But because she was still half asleep, she decided to get up and take a look at who was there. After all it was probably Sokka waking everyone up a little earlier.

She moved into her closet and decided to put on her day clothes. After all, now that she was awake, it didn't seem like she was going to be able to fall back asleep. It was better to just get dressed now. She started to fix up her bun and rub the sleep out of her eyes as she opened the door to the bedroom to peek outside.

"_Do you really think that you could trick me like this again, you despicable Avatar?"_

"Hello?" she called. There wasn't a single sound outside, and she couldn't feel any vibrations close by. But there was definitely someone out here. She knew she heard knocking.

"_I knew that you were trying to hide her from me again. I knew that it was you. Well let me tell you, I wasn't about to let you get away with it for a second time. I'm not that incompetent."_

Toph stepped out of the room and closed the door gently behind her. It was so late that she didn't even hear the torches in the hallway. The servants must have put them out ages ago. That meant it was completely pitch black in the hallway. Not that this meant anything to her, but why would someone wake up this late to knock at her door?

"_You should have known that I was going to come and stop you. I told you. I'm not going to let her go."_

She should have gone back. There were no vibrations, there was not a single sound in the hallway…so that meant she was hearing things. But there was no way that she was hearing things. She knew there was a knock at the door. She wasn't crazy. It was probably someone messing with her. They had to be here somewhere.

"_I can sense her. I can smell her. I know where she is."_

There were footsteps behind her. Toph spun around quickly and tapped her foot on the ground, bringing up a rock right in front of her. There were no vibrations, but there was someone here. She couldn't see them, but she knew something wasn't right. Someone was there watching her.

"_I'm going to find her."_

Then she put the pieces together. No vibrations. Sounds only she could hear.

How could she have been so _stupid!_

She promised Sokka she wouldn't do anything dumb. And here she was running after invisible people, when really it was just…

Toph didn't waste any time running back to her bedroom as fast as she could. She sprinted using all of the energy in her body to get from here to safety as quickly as she could. But it was no use. There was a gigantic crash behind her and then she felt an overwhelming wave of pain overcome her. Toph stopped running and gripped the back of her head which was sticky from the blood that was now seeping from the back of her head. She fell to her knees and started to feel her eyes closing. She tried to crawl forward and get to her room. She had to get to her room. She had to get to her room. She had to get…to her…

Everything went black and she knew nothing more.

"_She's going to be mine. I know it._

* * *

**A/N: **_Man, I sure know how to ruin the mood. So…um…just hang in there, okay? It'll all work out. I promise. _


End file.
